RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2016 Today's news from mid-Wales: http://spaceguardcentre.com____________________ Posted on 17 February 2016 by Jay TateIn a shocking announcement, Russian scientists say they want to test improved ballistic missiles on the asteroid Apophis, which is expected to come dangerously close to Earth in 2036.If this doesn’t send chills down your spine, you haven’t read enough science fiction.In a February 11th article in the Russian state-owned news agency TASS, Sabit Saitgarayev, the lead researcher at the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau, says Russian scientists are developing a program to upgrade Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) to destroy near-Earth meteors from 20-50 metres in size. Apophis’ approach in 2036 would be a test for this program.ICBM’s are the kind of long range nukes that the USSR and the USA had pointed at each other for decades during the Cold War. They still have some pointed at each other, and they can be launched quickly. This program would take that technology and improve it for anti-asteroid use.Typical rockets of the type that take payloads into space are not good candidates for intercepting asteroids. They require too much lead time to meet the threat of an incoming asteroid that might be detected only days before impact. They can take several days to fuel.But ICBM’s are different. They can stand at the ready for long periods of time, and be launched at a moment’s notice. But to be suitable for use as asteroid killers, they have to be upgraded.Design work on the asteroid-killing ICBM’s has already begun, admitted Saitgarayev, but he did not say whether the money has been committed or whether the authorization has been given to go ahead with the project. But like a lot of things that are said and done by Russia, it’s difficult to know exactly where the truth lies.There’s no question that being prepared to prevent an asteroid strike on Earth is of the utmost importance. No matter where on Earth one was to strike, the effects could be global. But one thing’s certain: the development and testing of missiles designed to be used in space is unsettling.It’s also unsettling in light of the January 16th TASS article stating that “The international scientific community has asked Russian scientists to develop an asteroid deflection system on the basis of nuclear explosions in space.”Taken together, the two announcements point towards a program of weaponizing space, something the international community has agreed should be avoided. In fact, there is a ban on nuclear explosions in space.We don’t want to be alarmist. There are only a handful of countries in the world that have the capacity to develop some protective system against asteroids, and Russia is definitely one of them. And if Earth were threatened by an asteroid, the weaponization of space would be the least of our concerns.The fact that Russia wants to develop a missile system with nuclear warheads, and employ it in space, is not entirely unreasonable. But it should make us stop and think. What will happen if something goes wrong?It’s easy to imagine a scenario where an atomic explosion went off in low-Earth orbit. What would the consequences be? And what are the consequences to having one country develop this capability, rather than an international group? How can this whole endeavour be managed responsibly? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2016 Normally about 2036 I have a bath,but after that cheery note I don't think I'll brother. Save the water instead! I don't really trust Russia these days. I would prefer something like this to be developed by the international group that runs the space station Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I thought Hollywood had already sorted this?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 A Tom Lehrer song from about 1960 popped instantly into my head on reading the OP: When you attend a funeral, It is sad to think that sooner or later those you love will do the same for you, And you may have thought it tragic, Not to mention other adjectives To think of all the weeping they will do (but don't you worry). No more ashes, no more sackcloth And an armband made of black cloth Will someday never more adorn a sleeve, For if the bomb that drops on you Gets your friends and neighbours too, There'll nobody left behind to grieve And we will all go together when we go What a comforting fact that is to know, Universal bereavement: An inspiring achievement, Yes we all will go together when we go! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 17, 2016 What will I be doing in 2036? Daisies - Pushing -Up (Unless someone finds a cure for aging! ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovex Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I think I should be unwrapping the parcel containing new GWR non-corridor stock that Hornby will have finally got around to making. Oh, and Bachmann's Thompson corridor stock will just be hitting the shops. A Tom Lehrer song from about 1960 popped instantly into my head on reading the OP: When you attend a funeral, It is sad to think that sooner or later those you love will do the same for you, And you may have thought it tragic, Not to mention other adjectives To think of all the weeping they will do (but don't you worry). No more ashes, no more sackcloth And an armband made of black cloth Will someday never more adorn a sleeve, For if the bomb that drops on you Gets your friends and neighbours too, There'll nobody left behind to grieve And we will all go together when we go What a comforting fact that is to know, Universal bereavement: An inspiring achievement, Yes we all will go together when we go! All together now, for the chorus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Tim Dubya Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 17, 2016 probably waiting to retire... (if there's still a retirement age by then?) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 probably waiting to retire... (if there's still a retirement age by then?) Nah. work 'til you drop. There'll be plenty of time to sleep when you're dead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Of course the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Apophis is flyby is actually predicted to be something other than a near miss and this is the frst stage of breaking it to us gently . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 ....All together now, for the chorus We will all go together when we go, All suffused with an incandescent glow, No one will have the endurance To collect on his insurance, Lloyds of London will be loaded when they go! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 THE END IS NIGH [ again ] worrying about the future is almost as pointless as reliving the past. If it is going to happen ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Jan 2036. PECOs long awaited 'fine scale 00' turnouts arrive in retailers, RMWeb goes into meltdown. Feb 2036. Asteroid Apophis ends life on Earth. Typical. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 In 2036 I will be ordering my first just released Peco semi scale bullhead code 75 medium radius point.Peco finally indulged us to release one ,a left hand only ,as an experiment to see if it sells enough to warrant a right hand too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 17, 2016 2036: Hornby posts profit warning. Much frothing on RMWeb Government censors think it's part of a conspiracy against them and close down the net (again) Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 2036? I will be older and far more wrinkly that I already seem to be; but if I do survive that long I will still be 10 years younger than my father is at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Well, If I'm still here, I'll be 71! Seriously, it's long past time when this sort of thing should have been started anyway. Ever since Tunguska this danger has been quite apparent to the human race, obviously back then we didn't have the technology but since the end of WW2 more or less, we have had. However, to the powers that be, there were more pressing needs that have resulted in a more adequate response subsequently being developed. As to atomic explosions in space, well as long as they are not in near earth orbit, they should be fine, after all the sun is one big series of atomic explosions constantly occuring and at a range of approx 93 million miles, that's almost harmless! I would think that any approaching asteroid would need to be dealt with at least beyond the orbit of the moon, else the debris would be nearly as damaging as the object itself. Good on the Russians, I say. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I would think that any approaching asteroid would need to be dealt with at least beyond the orbit of the moon, else the debris would be nearly as damaging as the object itself. Good on the Russians, I say. But the debris might land on another country (not yet within Putin's grasp). I'm more worried amused that the launch will not be successful (or end up landing in the US). The asteroid sails on past without any impact due to a miscalculation but no one left to notice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 The last episode of 'Babylon 5' comes to mind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 But the debris might land on another country (not yet within Putin's grasp). Hmmm, Putin would be 83 by then!?! Nothing to say he won't still be in charge, of course! The dangers of an asteroid impact are global, anyone who has much grasp of astronomy must be aware of just how tiny our planet is and how easily (in cosmic terms) it could be rendered inhospitable to human life, or any life at all for that matter. I'm not saying the Russians are acting entirely charitably, of course not! They want to continue exploiting the earths resources just as much as anyone else. At least they realise that an asteroid could stop their activities just as much as it would stop anyone elses Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernman46 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Take yer pick ................... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Impact_(film) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2016 Well, it's now 20:48. What did you actually do at 20:36. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold LH&JC Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2016 By 2036 I might have finished all the kits on my to do list! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butler Henderson Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Flip, there I was hoping to go to Warley and back home in sensible time on the newly introduced Yorkshire section of HS2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Budgie Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2016 Sounds like a good year for a resurrection. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted February 17, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2016 Wonder if my Fell diesel and GT3 will have arrived from HorMann by DJM by then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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