DBWI: No Asteroid Shield?

One of the benefits of the Space race and exploration of the solar system has been the establishment of the "Asteroid Shield System" by the world's major powers in the late 1980's, and early 1990's (that being the various detection stations to monitor possible threats and the missile platforms in orbit to deal with them). However, what if this system did not exist? What if there remained really no hands on thing to deal with incoming asteroids which still present a very real danger of devastation at some point in the future?
 

Michael Busch

One of the benefits of the Space race and exploration of the solar system has been the establishment of the "Asteroid Shield System" by the world's major powers in the late 1980's, and early 1990's (that being the various detection stations to monitor possible threats and the missile platforms in orbit to deal with them). However, what if this system did not exist? What if there remained really no hands on thing to deal with incoming asteroids which still present a very real danger of devastation at some point in the future?

Breaking double-blind:

The effect is null, except for butterflies of us spending a lot less money on the impact hazard. The whole point of the Spaceguard asteroid survey is to discover the dangerous objects decades before impact. Having a standing force of orbital rockets is incredibly expensive, and not necessary when we can build and launch a deflection spacecraft when necessary. It is also inherently risky, since you can use the bombs against ground targets or use them to deflect asteroids into the Earth.

This was successfully argued by Carl Sagan and others during the early and mid-1990's.

As an aside, you don't use nukes or kinetic kill missiles against asteroids. It is messy and hard to correct if you make a mistake. A much better, but less visually exciting, technique is the gravity tractor.
 
One of the benefits of the Space race and exploration of the solar system has been the establishment of the "Asteroid Shield System" by the world's major powers in the late 1980's, and early 1990's (that being the various detection stations to monitor possible threats and the missile platforms in orbit to deal with them). However, what if this system did not exist? What if there remained really no hands on thing to deal with incoming asteroids which still present a very real danger of devastation at some point in the future?

Well, the Zagons probably would have conquered the planet by now, if not exterminated us outright. Thank goodness for those Metalunan refugees!

Bruce
 
Unfortunately, it has been seen as yet another sign of oppression by the Third World. Just consider how the People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Iraq and Iran have all stated before the United Nations that the "Asteroid Shield" as a "first-strike weapon" . To make matters worse, with the failure of Great Britain, France, Germany, and Japan to sustain their portions of the program, the United States is forced to spend billions of dollars on a system that has never been utilized, and continues to alienate the world community...
 
Top