Author Topic: Planetary Defense  (Read 15442 times)

Offline spectre9

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #20 on: 02/21/2013 02:34 pm »
A vibrant and intelligent human race proud of their species and willing to put all resources towards the many would start working on looking out for asteroids and comets such that our existence isn't wiped out in the next few centuries while we develop the technology to become multi-planetary.

Unfortunately that isn't the human race that exists today.

Greed, corruption, power and holding money and debt over each other are the norm.

It's like the second dark age. Sometimes I really feel a sense of despair about this planet and it's people.

Offline CommercialSpaceFan

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #21 on: 02/23/2013 11:06 pm »
However, I would like to pose a question - should this alter how we view the next destination for humans?  I know more than a few people who have been all about the moon, and ignored asteroids. 
 
I suppose this really depends on how one goes about trying to defend Earth.  One could try to deflect an asteroid using super sized nuclear missiles.  Alternatively one could take advantage of a robust common space transportation infrastructure encompassing cryo stages with orbital refueling as well as electric propulsion.  Nominally such transportation could support human exploration of the Moon, asteroids, and Mars.  On the very rare occasion that an asteroid is a threat, one could temporarily repurpose the transportation system to protect Earth, quite likely still employing nuclear bombs to nudge the actual asteroid.   

Online Blackstar

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #22 on: 02/24/2013 02:05 pm »
I suppose this really depends on how one goes about trying to defend Earth.  One could try to deflect an asteroid using super sized nuclear missiles.  Alternatively one could take advantage of a robust common space transportation infrastructure encompassing cryo stages with orbital refueling as well as electric propulsion. 

You could also use VASIMR, ISRU, and 3D printing!

It's amusing that no matter what the question is, you guys come up with the same answers.

Offline CommercialSpaceFan

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #23 on: 02/24/2013 10:39 pm »
It's amusing that no matter what the question is, you guys come up with the same answers.

If you mean we need in space transportation, yes cryo stages and electric propulsion are the near term options.  At some point the human species needs to be able to routinely get beyond LEO. We also ought to be spending a lot more than $3B/year developing the capability.

Offline Jim

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #24 on: 02/24/2013 10:49 pm »
Why NASA?  It is a defense issue and not a space research issue.

Online Blackstar

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #25 on: 02/25/2013 08:36 pm »
Why NASA?  It is a defense issue and not a space research issue.

Asteroid detection/survey is credibly a space research issue.

Agreed that asteroid *mitigation* is a defense issue.

Not everybody sees it that way. One issue that came up during our NEO study was that foreign governments might trust NASA more to deal with this stuff than the USAF. If USAF was going to push the asteroid out of the way, the immediate response from many governments would be "How do we know that they will not turn it into a weapon and drop it on us?"

I think I mentioned here or the other thread that nobody in the U.S. government really wants this job. Even if there was new money attached, you wouldn't necessarily expect the military to want to take it on. There's a common perception that bureaucracies always want to expand their turf, when in reality they are more interested in protecting their existing turf and often view expanding turf as a threat to their core missions.

I'm forgetting the details, but OSTP was supposed to come up with a lead agency for this mission several years ago and declined to do so.

Offline Robotbeat

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #26 on: 03/06/2013 10:26 pm »
Why NASA?  It is a defense issue and not a space research issue.
NASA is charged with both warning /and/ mitigation of potential hazardous NEOs.

And as Blackstar mentioned, NASA is more trusted by our geopolitical rivals than the US military would be.
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #27 on: 03/10/2013 11:47 pm »
Thought I would add a link from a concept envisioned by the great Arthur C. Clarke and its actual program:

http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/downloads/spacesurvey.pdf
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #28 on: 11/07/2013 09:50 pm »
Seems like the topic of meteor impacts was making the rounds at various news agencies today. The main question seemed to be, "what are we doing about it?? Of course the answer is nothing, which leaves most folks shocked...  :o
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline go4mars

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #29 on: 11/07/2013 10:10 pm »
leaves most folks shocked...  :o
Shocks quartz grains too. :'( ::)

I just hope it doesn't take another Burckle crater for everyone to sit up and care, but it might.
Elasmotherium; hurlyburly Doggerlandic Jentilak steeds insouciantly gallop in viridescent taiga, eluding deluginal Burckle's abyssal excavation.

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #30 on: 11/07/2013 10:29 pm »
leaves most folks shocked...  :o
Shocks quartz grains too. :'( ::)

I just hope it doesn't take another Burckle crater for everyone to sit up and care, but it might.
Ha ha, geophysics humor...  ;)
 
A crater might, as long it doesn’t affect the NIMBY’s... Or a healthy tsunami...  :-\
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #31 on: 01/20/2016 01:55 pm »
U.S. 'Planetary Defense Officer' Looking For Targets, Weapons


NASA, the U.S. Energy Department and other agencies are moving beyond searching the sky for killer asteroids to finding a way to deflect them from Earth, with a new “planetary defense officer” to coordinate the work.

Early studies underway in the U.S. and Europe could lead to a 2022 test of how much a kinetic slug could deflect a small space rock that would cause major damage if it penetrated Earth’s atmosphere. And specialists at the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) are using supercomputers to determine whether nuclear weapons could deflect a threatening object discovered too late for less drastic measures.

“The whole priority for the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) is to find these things as far ahead of time as we can so that we have enough time to be able to deal with them in a reasonable way,” says Lindley Johnson, who heads the office at NASA headquarters and holds the new planetary-defense title. “We are working with other government agencies to do some of the preliminary thought and planning as to what we might do faced with such a threat.”




http://aviationweek.com/space/us-planetary-defense-officer-looking-targets-weapons?NL=AW-014&Issue=AW-014_20160120_AW-014_13&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1&utm_rid=CPEN1000000910137&utm_campaign=4728&utm_medium=email&elq2=465d7d2e0ac54af1b2f3e82b7059694e
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline Star One

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Re: Planetary Defense
« Reply #32 on: 08/01/2017 07:40 pm »
Impending Asteroid Flyby Will be a Chance to Test NASA’s Planetary Defense Network!

Quote
This coming October, an asteroid will fly by Earth. Known as 2012 TC4, this small rock is believed to measure between 10 and 30 meters (30 and 100 feet) in size. As with most asteroids, this one is expected to sail safely past Earth without incident. This will take place on October 12th, when the asteroid will pass us at a closest estimated distance of 6,800 kilometers (4,200 miles) from Earth’s surface.

That’s certainly good news. But beyond the fact that it does not pose a threat to Earth, NASA is also planning on using the occasion to test their new detection and tracking network. As part of their Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), this network is responsible for detecting and tracking asteroids that periodically pass close to Earth, which are known as Potentially Hazardous Objects (PHOs)

In addition to relying on data provided by NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program. the PDCO also coordinates NEO observations conducted by National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored ground-based observatories, as well as space situational awareness facilities run by the US Air Force. Aside from finding and tracking PHOs, the PDCO is also responsible for coming up with ways of deflecting and redirecting them.

https://www.universetoday.com/136642/impending-asteroid-flyby-will-chance-test-nasas-planetary-defense-network/amp/

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