NASA Doesn't Have Money For Tracking Killer Asteroids

Elaine Meinel Supkis

Every once in a blue moon, we get worried about asteroids and then that fades as we worry about Britney Spears' hair troubles. NASA decided to remind everyone about this tiny problem that might wipe out all living things. Will we bother doing anything? Heh.

We can do the job but we are broke, right?

SETH BORENSTEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - NASA officials say the space agency is capable of finding nearly all the asteroids that might pose a devastating hit to Earth, but there isn't enough money to pay for the task so it won't get done.

The cost to find at least 90 percent of the 20,000 potentially hazardous asteroids and comets by 2020 would be about $1 billion, according to a report NASA will release later this week. The report was previewed Monday at a Planetary Defense Conference in Washington.

Congress in 2005 asked NASA to come up with a plan to track most killer asteroids and propose how to deflect the potentially catastrophic ones.

"We know what to do, we just don't have the money," said Simon "Pete" Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center.

For want of a nail, a horse goes lame. The USA used to be interested in space things. We were going to conquer space, it was the Last Frontier. At the same moment in our history, we decided it would be tons more fun going bankrupt. Driving the world's strongest, wealthiest empire into bankruptcy takes a long time but we are rapidly reaching our goal.

We built, at great expense and with lots of trumpetting about how fantastic we are and how capitalism is better than communism even though we were behind the commies during much of the Space Race, we were supposed to ignore this! Ask any child today, who put the first satellite up, the first man in space, the first dog in space. They all think it was the USA just like many people here think we won WWII in Europe even though we didn't land in Normandy until Russia's armies were nearly at the borders of Germany!

Now China is challenging us. They are starting way behind us but we got pretty lax about things after Russia went bankrupt and seemingly, dropped out of the Space Race. Since we decided to spend all our future wealth on really dumb things like oppressing Muslim peasants who are very eager to blow us up with themselves in a mutual suicide-pact, we also have run out of money. And the Chinese will give it to us if we give them our technology.

Not that it is worth all that much. The Russians are the ones keeping humans in space. The Space Shuttle got shuffled back into the hanger because of damage from violent storms. Global warming has some downsides aside from the fact that the entire space port we built in Florida is barely above sea level and will disappear in 30 years, under water. If a mega-hurricane doesn't flatten it all, first.

Way back when I was a tadpole, I thought we needed a space program so we can outsource our industries to other planetary systems or galaxies far, far away. Then we can set up a money deal with them and try to cheat them while they try to bankrupt us. A good plan.

But we need money, first. Of course, what is another billion or so? The Pentagon spends that much per week in cost over-runs for their pet projects. And we spend that much a DAY at war. With peasants living in tents or mud huts. Who are winning. And killing many of us as well as each other and anything else.

And Congress won't cut their budget and redirect the funds to useful places. Just think: if an asteroid is coming here, we could get some suicide bombers to ambush it! Maybe that is why we are in Iraq: it is all training, preparing them for saving the planet earth.

They already nearly got Cheney. See? They can save us!

Oh, and before Bush pardons Libby, we really should arrest Cheney. And Bush. At least, impeach them.

Culture of Life News Main Page

Comments

[blues]

«Way back when I was a tadpole, I thought we needed a space program so we can outsource our industries to other planetary systems or galaxies far, far away. Then we can set up a money deal with them and try to cheat them while they try to bankrupt us. A good plan.»

You really thought about stuff like that Elaine? I was busy trapping alley cats. They never do change their stripes, you know.

[JSmith]

As I posted somewhere else: doesn't Europe have some sort of space agency? Why does NASA have to find all the killer asteroids? Maybe it's time for someone else to step up and do some of the work around here.

[Elaine Meinel Supkis]

Um, Europe does have a space program, Smith. You never hear of it because the US media hides all real facts from people.

Trust me, they have one. And our own NASA gets LOOOOTTTSSSS of money from Europe. Thanks.

[JSmith]

Dearest Elaine... trust me here... I know about the ESA.

What I don't know is why it suddenly seems to be NASA's responsibility to find and catalog killer asteroids. Are killer asteroids all America's fault, so we should be the ones to find them?

Not a thing here

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/Protecting.html

about finding killer asteroids... and I'd certainly say finding killer asteroids comes under "Protecting the Environment": if a killer asteroid hit us there will no longer be an environment to protect. (Well, there'd be an environment, but you wouldn't need to protect it...

[blues]

We need to organize to vote these ESA rascals out of office. But fear not, JSmith, I have heard they plan deep probes into Uranus. This will go far to counter vastly greater threats than the random giant space rock.

[JSmith]

"We need to organize to vote these ESA rascals out of office."

I don't think Americans get to vote in European elections.

"But fear not, JSmith, I have heard they plan deep probes into Uranus. This will go far to counter vastly greater threats than the random giant space rock."

Especially after burrito night!

[Michael1938]

America's NASA might as well get to it, and take over the detection of killer astroids by themselves. We're not going to get any help from the other countrys it seems. It serves us well to do it anyhoo! If a smaller one gets by...and lands on say Iran or North Korea...oh well!

[mesa weight loss]

So surprising for me! The nasa must give some clues on here.