What if 99942 Apophis was going to hit the Earth on April 13, 2029?

Hnau

Banned
From the first discovery of the asteroid, every time the scientists compute it, the risk of direct impact becomes greater, not less. Eventually the zone of risk is centered onto a band from the mid-Atlantic through the Mediterranean and to the Persian Gulf. What happens?
 

Faeelin

Mike Stearns said:
I agree. With 20 years warning, it should be a simple matter to alter its orbit and fling it at Jupiter or send it on a one way trip out of the solar system.
Click to expand...

You're assuming we have that ability, or that we won't put it off until tomorrow.

And that the mission goes right.
 
MrP

MrP

Banned
Faeelin said:
You're assuming we have that ability, or that we won't put it off until tomorrow.

And that the mission goes right.
Click to expand...

We only need a motley collection of filmstars pretending to be oil-rig workers, don't we?
 
Thande

Thande

Donor
NASA is already considering the possibility of sending an Orion (the modern craft, not the 50s nuclear powered one) to an asteroid, which is a start, and that capability should exist by 2020 barring funding cuts.

They also had a project to do so in the 1970s with an Apollo but that was cancelled.

Of course you also need to bring along some means of destroying or deflecting the asteroid but I'm just demonstrating that it's not beyond the bounds of probability.
 

MadAce

Faeelin said:
You're assuming we have that ability, or that we won't put it off until tomorrow.

And that the mission goes right.
Click to expand...

I'm rather optimistic. There doesn't have to be one attempt or one mission.

The only objection is money. And considering every asset on the planet will be worthless after that rock hits...

Wasn't there a contest to find the best idea?

The best ideas was to wrap the thing in a reflective sheeting so that it will be pushed out of its trajectory by the solar wind.
 

Chengar Qordath

Am I the only one who upon first seeing the title of this thread was expecting to see a Stargate SG-1 ATL?

On Topic, I'd expect that with 20 years of advance warning something could be done about it; that's enough time that even a fairly minor action would deflect it's course enough to miss Earth, let alone the Hollywood-esque "Nuke it multiple times" solution.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
With so many years warning* I thinks it's likely, that we start a international project to protect earth, even a rather small part of Earths GNP would be enough to stop this disaster.

*but still in lifetimes of most of us and our leaders.
 

Zyzzyva

I agree with most of those above. "Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully."
 

Hnau

Banned
New technology needs to be made, it will cost a lot, a lot of PR value for those that divert the asteroid, and there are religious implications as well for a few years...
 

SunilTanna

We spend the next 21 years arguing about:

1. Whether it is really going to hit, and why spend the money on this possible risk when we have so many pressing problems at home

2. The danger to astronauts from cosmic ray radiation

3. The danger to people from rocket fuel.

4. Whether we should start developing the ship to prevent it hitting, given that it will be easier in a few more years when technology is more advanced

5. Whether we need to build a space station / moon base / practise mission before doing the mission

6. Which aerospace company will build any ship

7. Which countries will pay for the ship

Then in 2029... everything bigger than a rat dies when the asteroid impacts.
 

santosza

Humans have a habit of knowing if something really bad is going to happen. They will have their issues but we will pull together in the end.
 

Kevin Renner

Depending on just were the impact happens some people might see it as a good thing. An Atlantic Basin impact would wreck much of the West
 

Jay

Which leaves Russia, China, and Japan to reshape the world
(St. Petersburg might get flooded)

...western USA still have some say in North American matters.


As for who will led any kind of mission likely be headed by NASA. Assuming that China doesnt hyperdrive space operations.
 
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