Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : NASA Unveils Plans to Smash Projectile into Comet -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Triffin who wrote (28)	7/13/1999 2:53:00 AM
From: Level Head	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 38

Just why are we spending 250 million dollars to change a comet's orbital path ?? To see if we can do it ?? Or because we have to do it ?? Jim in CT .. NASA needs a better cover story .. First, the intent of the mission is not to change the comet's path. It will, slightly, but a bug hitting your windshield slows your car slightly. The point is to learn more about comets. As was pointed out earlier on the thread, they (and asteroids) will be useful objects to mine someday, and knowing what is in the interior will help judge the feasibility. I'd like to see NASA out of the shuttle/station business entirely (which private enterprise could do), and focusing on pure research missions like these. Level Head

To: Triffin who wrote (28)	7/14/1999 12:27:00 AM
From: James F. Hopkins	Respond to of 38

I have figured out how to change earth's orbit, and it wouldn't cost as much, why heck we could dodge these asteroids instead of changing their course. The rub is our mean distance and orbit around the Sun is critical to our eco system and food chain, and while moving earth out of the way is simple in and of itself the side effects would cause a break down close to the bottom layer of the food chain, and thus cause a starvation of all the life forms above that point, so until we learn how to eat rocks I better put my earth orbit change plans on the back burner. I could put my earth orbit change plan into the public domain, it's rather simple, but I'm sort of glad the scientist haven't figured it out yet, because as soon as they do they will find a reason to test it, and likely forget about my warning taht it would cause a major break down in the basic food chain.