Quote:
Originally Posted by =FI=Ghost
In my humble opinion, it is in our best interest (and when I say "our" I mean, us citizens of the planet Earth) that the governments of those countries capable of producing a solution to this problem, do as much as possible to come up with one.
USA's space program is by far the most advanced on Earth, so I guess it's only logical to assume that they should be leading this program of developing a defense against these kinds of threats from space. Together with ESA and Russia they are our only line of defense, because like it or not, asteroids are real, and one will, sooner or later, cross it's path with Earth.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper
Anyone remember the Tungaska meteor? The one that exploded high up with a force of a thousand Hiroshima bombs and could've wiped Oslo off the map had it hit only five minutes later?
Granted, the title sounds like something out of The Onion, but shouldn't we have a general way to prepare should some other asteroid decide to home in on Manhattan, London, Tokyo or Beijing?
|
All humor aside, I couldn't agree more. I personally believe that asteroids are a threat that we should be looking at. Granted, there are far more serious and immediate concerns in the world, but that doesn't mean we should ignore something as potentially catastrophic as asteroids just because there's not one knocking on our door right now (that we know of).
Admittedly the U.S. has the most advanced space program, and is a comparitively weathy country, but this is a GLOBAL issue. Why (according to this report) is it the sole responsibility of the U.S. to defend the entire planet? Like F1=Ghost said, it should be a co-operative effort between the ESA, CSA, JAXA, Russia, and frankly, every other nation on the face of the planet.
Sure we've got some of the most advanced material assets when it comes to space exploration, but why should we be expected to foot the bill alone?