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Re: (meteorobs) Those Meteor Movies - a review
In a message dated 98-07-16 07:31:10 EDT, you write:
<< The thing is we do have the technology to develop equipment that can do
something about these objects if we have enough warning, hence the need for
a search and catalog of such objects. A very slight change in orbital
velocity and direction years in advance of an impact can cause a miss. (Not
a very exciting Hollywood story line, is it? Scientiist find killer
asteroid that will collide in 50 years. Automatic probe flys out to
asteroid and deploys a gigantic mylar solar sail [or ion engine or
whatever] which slowly changes the velocity. Everyone on Earth goes out as
night decades later and watch this thing glide by the Earth.)
>>
Are the solar sails off the drawing Board? I recently saw a computer animation
showing them at work.
A good read is Arthur C. Clarke's "Hammer of God" where they use the ion
engines. Pretty interesting and entertaining book.
<<Well Kevin I guess this was more than my 2 cents worth on the Texas size
asteroid.>>
Thats all well and good Terry, but it's still landing in my back yard...oh,
right..dot it's just a movie :)
Kevin