PDA

View Full Version : Could an asteroid destroy Washington, D.C?




Rael
07-30-2010, 10:47 AM
the comments on the page are priceless =P

http://theweek.com/article/index/205516/could-an-asteroid-destroy-washington-dc

Could an asteroid destroy Washington, D.C?
A giant asteroid capable of flattening an entire city could be on course to hit Earth, say scientists. The good news? It won't be here for another 172 years
posted on July 30, 2010, at 7:30 AM
Could a giant asteroid obliterate a city?

Could a giant asteroid obliterate a city? Photo: Corbis

The idea of a giant asteroid causing untold destruction has inspired countless disaster movies, but it's never really been considered a threat to humanity. Now, scientists at the University of Valladolid in Spain have warned that a giant asteroid really might be on course to collide with our planet — but not until 2182. (Watch a report, heavy on theatrics, on the asteroid threat.) Here's a quick guide to the asteroid on its way to Earth:

What are the odds of this asteroid hitting Earth?
The rock, which has been given the catchy title of "(101955) 1999 RQ36," has a one in 1,000 chance of impacting Earth on Sept. 24, 2182. Given the enormity of space, those are extremely high odds of impact, especially as there is still uncertainty as to its exact trajectory. Scientists will not be sure whether it will hit us until 2082.

How big is it?
The asteroid is about 612 yards wide, according to scientists. If that doesn't sound very large, consider that the last significant piece of space debris to hit earth — the Tunguska comet, in 1908 — destroyed 830 square miles of Siberian forest. This asteroid is about 10 times larger.

What would happen if it hit Earth?
It would cause "widespread devastation", and be "highly destructive to life on Earth, no matter where it hit." According to NASA, an asteroid this size could create "blast waves, earthquakes, fires, and tidal waves," and leave millions dead. If it hit a large metropolitan area like Washington, D.C, all that would be left is a crater several miles wide. "You wouldn't want to be at ground zero," one astronomer told The Sun.

How big would an asteroid have to be to end life on Earth?
Any asteroid over 1,000 yards in width would create a nuclear winter, killing all plant life on the planet and likely all human life, too. The asteroid blamed for wiping out the dinosaurs is thought to have been 7.5 miles wide. The largest asteroid discovered by human scientists is roughly 18 miles wide. If that struck Earth, it would eradicate all but microbiotic life.

What can we do to stop this one?
Nothing just yet. It would be moving far too quickly — around 25 kilometers a second — for any currently available technology to change its path. Only when scientists are sure it will impact on earth will "technologically and financially feasible" ways to destroy or deflect it be examined. In other words, it's a bit too early to deploy Bruce Willis.

Are there any other asteroids on their way here?
A 328-yard asteroid will hurtle past Earth on April 13, 2029 (yes, it's a Friday). The rock, known as Apophis, is expected to miss the planet by just 18,300 miles — that's closer than most TV satellites orbiting the Earth. If it did hit, the force would be 65,500 times stronger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. But the odds it will alter course to impact on us are around one in 250,000.

Why are we only finding out about this now?
Actually, the University of Valladolid discovered 1999 RQ36 last year, and the news only just caught the attention of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, which put out a press release. "Whether this asteroid’s path is old news or not, we shouldn’t dawdle in thinking about how we might avoid it or asteroids like it," says Discovery Magazine's Andrew Moseman. "In this case, we’ve only got 172 years — and we already wasted one year getting the news out."

Anti Federalist
07-30-2010, 01:37 PM
One can hope...

pcosmar
07-30-2010, 01:39 PM
Could an asteroid destroy Washington, D.C?
Wishful thinking?

lol at AF
:D

acptulsa
07-30-2010, 01:41 PM
LOL at (with, actually) the person who accused the asteroid of being racist.

No, couldn't happen. The updrafts from all the hot air spewing out of the Capitol Dome would deflect it toward Baltimore or Newport News. Couldn't happen while they're in session.

heavenlyboy34
07-30-2010, 01:44 PM
That would be a nice relief! :cool:

Stary Hickory
07-30-2010, 02:07 PM
I think that would be a sign from God......

nate895
07-30-2010, 02:36 PM
I think that would be a sign from God......

Legally speaking, it would be considered an "Act of God." It would void any insurance claims the US Government might have on their symbols of power. We'd miss Arlington Heights, Old Town Alexandria, and Mount Vernon, however.

pcosmar
07-30-2010, 02:41 PM
We'd miss Arlington Heights, Old Town Alexandria, and Mount Vernon, however.

meh,,

somebody might.

roho76
07-30-2010, 02:50 PM
Could an asteroid destroy Washington, D.C?

Asteroids are only doing the jobs Americans won't.

Spider-Man
07-30-2010, 02:50 PM
When I read the title of the thread, I thought OP was beseeching the heavens.

pcosmar
07-30-2010, 02:55 PM
Asteroids are only doing the jobs Americans won't.

http://pix.motivatedphotos.com/2009/3/26/633736311481950260-Roflmao.jpg

White Knight
07-30-2010, 03:56 PM
In 172 years there won't be a United States. Anyone who thinks the Free States won't breakup by then is an idiot.

WaltM
07-30-2010, 03:58 PM
let's focus on what's happening in 2012.

TNforPaul45
07-30-2010, 04:15 PM
Oh wow, for a brief second, i had a very happy thought, visualizing the event in my mind.

The congress would pass legislation condemning the meteor and it's intended actions.
Then the president would order a preemptive strike on it.
The talking heads would be on tv, the deems saying the asteroid is racist and doesn't think about the working class families in our country. The repubs would be on tv describing how the asteroid hates us for our freedoms, and how it raises our oil prices.
We would send soldiers to the meteor and they would shoot it with their guns, but they would say that the head asteroid "got away through fallujah"

...then a glorious flash of light and we would be free
...to live in the nuclear winter and EU peacekeeping troops that would land.

BetaMale
07-30-2010, 04:18 PM
Oh boy the comments on that story are brilliant!

Some of my favs


Asteroid for president!

It'll be a racial thing

Can we launch a rocket to help SPEED UP its arrival?

It will never happen. Congressmen and Senators willbeat the asteroid to it.

If Ron Paul doesn't run in 2012, I'm voting for Asteriod

Anti Federalist
07-30-2010, 04:20 PM
Asteroids are only doing the jobs Americans won't.

Oh Holy Shit, that has got to be the single funniest thing I have ever seen here.

Smiley faces and ROFLs don't do it justice.

Take a bow sir.

Cowlesy
07-30-2010, 04:22 PM
Someone needs to take the Mike Lee picture someone put a Toady head on, and now put an Asteroid on the head, conferring with its staff on how to get rid of DC.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2T0Ya_U4gN8/TCA6jXhvjBI/AAAAAAAAAOI/bvOEWRDsrlQ/Toady%20-%20mikelee01.jpg

Anti Federalist
07-30-2010, 04:24 PM
Someone needs to take the Mike Lee picture someone put a Toady head on, and now put an Asteroid on the head, conferring with its staff on how to get rid of DC.

Toady is the Asteroid?

Pericles
07-30-2010, 06:08 PM
Oh Holy Shit, that has got to be the single funniest thing I have ever seen here.

Smiley faces and ROFLs don't do it justice.

Take a bow sir.

Indeed, I just had to login and post this.

Golding
07-30-2010, 06:57 PM
What's the point of Washington DC being scorched if the politicians have 172 years of advance notice to flee?

t0rnado
07-30-2010, 07:03 PM
Why are we outsourcing the job to an extraterrestrial?

AmericaFyeah92
07-30-2010, 08:05 PM
why are we outsourcing the job to an extraterrestrial?

+1776

PatriotOne
07-30-2010, 08:39 PM
Unfortunately, cockroaches can live through an asteroid hit and only the non-politicians will be effected.

TNforPaul45
07-30-2010, 09:52 PM
Just for you, Cowsley!:

http://i30.tinypic.com/20aezcj.jpg



Someone needs to take the Mike Lee picture someone put a Toady head on, and now put an Asteroid on the head, conferring with its staff on how to get rid of DC.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2T0Ya_U4gN8/TCA6jXhvjBI/AAAAAAAAAOI/bvOEWRDsrlQ/Toady%20-%20mikelee01.jpg

osan
07-30-2010, 09:56 PM
We would send soldiers to the meteor and they would shoot it with their guns, but they would say that the head asteroid "got away through fallujah"

Maybe. If it struck during Obama's reign of terror, it would be labeled "racist".

Anti Federalist
08-26-2010, 12:34 AM
///

A Son of Liberty
08-26-2010, 04:52 AM
What's the point of Washington DC being scorched if the politicians have 172 years of advance notice to flee?

Fear not! It will take that long to complete the environmental impact study.

DamianTV
08-26-2010, 01:19 PM
Slightly off topic, but...

Video Showing Half a Million Asteroid Discoveries

YouTube - Asteroid Discovery From 1980 - 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_d-gs0WoUw)

Acala
08-26-2010, 02:14 PM
I think we should form the Asteroid Party. Our entire platform would be to do anything possible to STIMULATE the early and on target arrival of our liberator. As a practical matter, we would just drink to the Asteroid at every opportunity and perhaps have an annual asteroid-calling party in D.C.

Slutter McGee
08-26-2010, 03:33 PM
Legally speaking, it would be considered an "Act of God." .

Legally speaking?

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee