Fourth Of July Fireworks Expected When NASA Blows Up Comet

[The Straight Story]

Fourth Of July Fireworks Expected When NASA Blows Up Comet

LOS ANGELES -- Not all dazzling fireworks displays will be on Earth this Independence Day.

NASA hopes to shoot off its own celestial sparks in an audacious mission that will blast a stadium-sized hole in a comet half the size of Manhattan. It would give astronomers their first peek at the inside of one of these heavenly bodies.

If all goes as planned, the Deep Impact spacecraft will release a wine barrel-sized probe on a suicide journey, hurtling toward the comet Tempel 1 -- about 80 million miles away from Earth at the time of impact.

"It's a bullet trying to hit a second bullet with a third bullet in the right place at the right time," said Rick Grammier, project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

http://www.local6.com/technology/4654121/detail.html

[ret5hd]

1. do ya' think maybe...

that they are really trying to keep the comet from hitting earth?

[MadHound]

3. If they are, they're being very stupid about it

If they blow up the comet, rather than having to deal with one big impact, they would have to deal with several somewhat smaller impacts worldwide. Not a good thing, as it would spread the damage out all over the world, rather than localized to one area.

[rocktivity]

6. DING DING DING! Ret5hd, you're our grand prize winner!

I remember reading about a meteor that might hit the earth a few years ago. The very next day the scientist said he'd gotten the numbers completely wrong.

:bounce:
rocknation

[Bill McBlueState]

7. what actually happened

It wasn't so much that the numbers were wrong. This sort of report surfaces a few times a year.

When a small body is first spotted, astronomers start watching its path. After a day or two, they can calculate a range of possible orbits. If that range includes Earth, even just barely, reports will say that a meteor may hit Earth in 20xx. After a few more days of observations, the range of possible orbits is narrowed down to exclude Earth. I think in recent years, people who do this sort of work have become more cautious about releasing reports based on just a few observations.

It's not that they're wrong about these things, it's that results are reported before they're known very precisely.

[whistle]

2. NASA and Pentagon will being blowing up the comet....

...all part of shrub's Star Wars initiative. When this mission i accomplished they are thinking about targeting the moon next for labor day. How would that be or a union busting display across the country.

[Tesla]

4. He's trying to scare off aliens

Show'em who's boss....

HELP!!!!

[Walt Starr]

5. Headline, 2027 MISSION FAILS, WORLD DOOMED!

Cape Canaveral, FL - NASA today stated the mission to the lefotover chunks of the comet destroyed by the Deep Impact mission failed to divert what will be the greatest catastrophe in human history.

"At the time we sent Deep Impact, we had no idea what this sort of thing could cause. We certainly did not believe we would send the debris on a collision course with the earth." one unnamed NASA offical said.

Impacts on the moon were visible over the past 24 hours globally, lighting up the sky in a beautifully destructive display.

Officials say impacts with the earth will occur within the next 24 hours, with the largest piece impacting next Tuesday.

"It will almost certainly spell the end of most life on earth, however, the lottery to choose survivors has insured our way of life will continue and that humans, and many animals and plants, will survive this Cataclysm." President Jenna Bush said in a statement issued just after the mission to divert the debris failed.

[Bill McBlueState]

8. I know one of the project scientists; she's pretty nervous

This has been a three-year mission, and its success depends entirely on what happens in the last hour. But if it's successful, it will provide valuable data on the early solar system, which will help to constrain our theories about the formation of the sun and planets.

[quispquake]

9. Reminds me of a "Mr Show" skit...

"Tonight, we're going to blow up the moon!".