DBWI: What If Chelyabinsk Incident Never Happened?

[Mr_ Bondoc]

On February 15th, 2013, an asteroid slammed into Chelyabinsk, Russia at 60 times the speed of sound, killing over 72,000 people, many as they were just entering the morning traffic commute. With the speed the meteor hit, there was no ability for Russian military forces to effectively react. In the 18 months that have passed since the impact, as Anderson Cooper noted last night,"The world has changed dramatically..."

What would have happened if the meteor had skipped off the atmosphere, exploded in mid-air, or missed Earth altogether? What effect would this have had on the world? Would Vladimir Putin still be in power?

 

[deamy]

Would Vladimir Putin still be in power?

Most likely not. Things were going downhill anyway and his failed command of the relief Efforts just speed Things up

 

[DrakonFin]

OOC: I can't see why an event like this would put Putin out of office. I mean he sure as hell won't resign, and it is not likely the Duma would force him out over this. It is an act of God, really - what nation on Earth expects their president to stop such an event and even boots him out after he "fails" in that?

 

[Scherzo]

OOC: I can't see why an event like this would put Putin out of office. I mean he sure as hell won't resign, and it is not likely the Duma would force him out over this. It is an act of God, really - what nation on Earth expects their president to stop such an event and even boots him out after he "fails" in that?

OOC: It's the failure to properly deal with the recovery I guess, but I think it'd make more sense to make it a more populated city, like St. Petersburg or Archangel.

On the other hand, Russians can be pretty superstitious.

 

[CaliBoy1990]

Most likely not. Things were going downhill anyway and his failed command of the relief Efforts just speed Things up

This. Putin handled this a lot worse than Bush did Katrina......and given how badly Bush bungled the post-Katrina relief efforts in NOLA.....that's saying a lot.

 

[Luath]

Well the first meteorite strike on a populated area in recorded history has certainly had a profound effect, we have woken up in essence and realized just how hostile the Universe is, at any moment we could be wiped off the face of existence. I doubt Obama for example would have been as successful in refunding NASA, for example, or the increase attention to the ESA.

 

[Mr_ Bondoc]

This. Putin handled this a lot worse than Bush did Katrina......and given how badly Bush bungled the post-Katrina relief efforts in NOLA.....that's saying a lot.

It didn't help matters that Russian media outlets and politicians like Vladimir Zhirinovsky continued to claim that the Chelyabinsk meteor was "an American weapon", for 72 hours, scaring people in both the United States and Russia,....

 

[Mr_ Bondoc]

Well the first meteorite strike on a populated area in recorded history has certainly had a profound effect, we have woken up in essence and realized just how hostile the Universe is, at any moment we could be wiped off the face of existence. I doubt Obama for example would have been as successful in refunding NASA, for example, or the increase attention to the ESA.

I certainly feel that his appointment of Neil De Grasse Tyson as its Director was certainly a mark of genius,....

 

[Michel Van]

Had that meteor had exploded in mid-air. not much would happen
Short Media hype, no Acceleration of Space program of USA, Russia, China and Europe.

Putin would be a powerful Leader, probably focusing on meddling in the Ukraine crisis.
Not like today were he put billions and billions of rubles into Space program in order to create a Spaceguard against meteors and asteroids
And thanks to Bush Jr. denouements of ABM treaty, the Russian will test next year nukes in space, also the Chinese.
while US congress push NASA SLS and Orion in High Gear, while in Nevada they check the Test site for new underground nukes test...

 

[Luath]

I certainly feel that his appointment of Neil De Grasse Tyson as its Director was certainly a mark of genius,....

Pure Unpasteurized Awesome, is what you mean, were going back to the moon!! So happy

 

[cubefreak123]

I think Russia would have had a heavier hand in the Ukraine after Yanukovych was ousted. Granted there was a bit of sympathy for the Russians after the event but that was killed off by the bungled response by Putin with the general disorganization and how much it highlighted the country's corruption. It was kind of the "straw that broke the camel's back" but it's hard to say what would have happened if the meteor had missed and the Euromaidan still happened. I even heard some in Russia calling for an invasion of Crimea!

 

[cubefreak123]

And thanks to Bush Jr. denouements of ABM treaty, the Russian will test next year nukes in space, also the Chinese.
while US congress push NASA SLS and Orion in High Gear, while in Nevada they check the Test site for new underground nukes test...

OOC: It would be more than the ABM treaty that would be ignored. Such an event would violate the Outer Space Treaty that's been in place since the 60s and is the basis of international law concerning space. A treaty of which the US, Russia, and China have all signed and ratified.

 

[juanml82]

And thanks to Bush Jr. denouements of ABM treaty, the Russian will test next year nukes in space, also the Chinese.

Honestly, I'd rather have the USA, China and Russia all testing their nuclear pulse space ships in orbit rather than relaying on chemical rockets. Granted, a meteorite like the Chelyabinsk one would still wouldn't be detected in the near future, but we need the capability to quickly react to any other larger meteorite we can detect. And for that, we need either nuclear pulse propulsion or ion engines - and nuclear pulse propulsion is a tested technology already.

OOC: I don't see why Russia and China would be testing nuclear weapons for defense purposes in space as a consequence of a meteorite impact.

 

[Gunnarnz]

OOC: I don't see why Russia and China would be testing nuclear weapons for defense purposes in space as a consequence of a meteorite impact.

OOC: Really? You can't see why Russia, which just had a city flattened by an asteroid, would be interested in being able to prevent future similar occurrences?

 

[juanml82]

OOC: Really? You can't see why Russia, which just had a city flattened by an asteroid, would be interested in being able to prevent future similar occurrences?

OOC: I meant it as nuclear weapons to be used against the USA or other powers. I doubt nuclear weapons in orbit can deflect a meteorite already so close to Earth.

 

[CaliBoy1990]

I think Russia would have had a heavier hand in the Ukraine after Yanukovych was ousted. Granted there was a bit of sympathy for the Russians after the event but that was killed off by the bungled response by Putin with the general disorganization and how much it highlighted the country's corruption. It was kind of the "straw that broke the camel's back" but it's hard to say what would have happened if the meteor had missed and the Euromaidan still happened. I even heard some in Russia calling for an invasion of Crimea!

They almost did back in April of this year. It was only canceled at the last minute after it was revealed that not only were the pro-Russian "Donetsk People's Republic" rebels actively being supported by elements of the Russian Army.....but that, also, some of these same elements were also sending a few shipments weapons to Pravy Sektor and Svoboda, of all people, to try to discredit the new government in Kiev!

OOC: Okay, I realize that last part may seem a tad farfetched to some, but it actually does make some sense when you think about it. Manipulating the most extreme factions of your rival nation state can go a long way to proving your PR point if you do it well enough.....and if you don't get caught in the act, of course.

 

[PMN1]

Well the first meteorite strike on a populated area in recorded history has certainly had a profound effect, we have woken up in essence and realized just how hostile the Universe is, at any moment we could be wiped off the face of existence. I doubt Obama for example would have been as successful in refunding NASA, for example, or the increase attention to the ESA.

Mind you, there are already increasing numbers of people saying...'well, we've had our 1 in a X thousand year event', why should we fund something that will not be needed again for X thousand years.

 

[Mr_ Bondoc]

What is also disturbing is the large contingent of members of the Christian Coalition and Westboro Baptist Church who have cited the Chelyabinsk Disaster as a sign of "God's displeasure at humanity's actions..." We all remember Pat Robertson's diatribe about how the meteor signaled the "End Times", despite calling Putin a "defender of morality" with his anti-LGBT laws. Then there's Michelle Bachmann who claimed that the disaster was a sign of "God's divine providence..."

 

[Mr_ Bondoc]

Another disturbing and troubling development since the Chelyabinsk Disaster has been the complaints of a "Space Gap" between the majority of the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, as pointed out during the last U.N. General Assembly. Does anyone have any thoughts on the matter?