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Some of the Realistic Concerns about Collisions
The following is excerpted from http://lifeboat.com/blog/?p=160
which in turn draws its source material in part from the B612 Foundation
(http://www.b612foundation.org). More will be added to this page and to others in due course.
The impact result is a narrow corridor called the ‘risk corridor’ which would be a few miles wide.
Countries estimated to be in the direct path:
- southern Russia,
- across the north Pacific Ocean (relatively close to the coastlines of the California and Mexico),
- right between Nicaragua and Costa Rica,
- crossing northern Colombia and
- Venezuela and over the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago,
- over the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of Africa.
Earth’s Path of Risk for the 99942 Apophis Asteroid that is suspected to be on track for a collision course
with earth in the year 2036. This image is self-made from data estimated by the B612 Foundation, this is why
it is just an approximation. Credit: Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz Mariordo and the re-use of this image is
based on ‘Fair use’ of public domain info by the B612 Foundation work on Apophis.
The hypothetical impact of Apophis along the path of risk could have more than 10 million casualties,
however the threatened zones would be evacuated [as per B612 foundation comment. The threat of casualties
would be for a similar sized object, if it was not detected.].
NOTE!
The probability of this particular asteroid colliding is low. As computed thus far. But we ought to be prepared and
this is what ASTRIC is all about. We affirm the goals and philosophy of the B612 Foundation and many others. However,
the whole question is about HOW to do things -
--- the actual space-based adjustment and deflection of collision-course objects
of significance (e.g., asteroids that would do damage), and also
--- how to go about things as a program, as a set of projects - the economics, politics, and project management.
The ASTRIC program is a different technology, different engineering, different thinking about all of this. We
believe it is sound, logical, and "win-win" from the economic and social perspective, and that is something that matters
immensely in order to get any projects going forward in the right way.
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