If it was required that we build a fleet of fusion-powered asteroid towing machines right now to effectively deal with the threat, you would have a good point.
But a robust, Earth-based threat detection program would be so inexpensive, relative to so many other things that money is spent on (including environmental issues), that it would almost be lost in the noise.
In short, the low cost balances the infrequent threat. The chances of a deadly tsunami, for any one particular location, are also very infrequent, but a detector array is (again relatively) so inexpensive that it makes sense to deploy one.
Ideally, a real impact threat could be detected years ahead of time, and then the cost-benefit equation changes drastically, and we can start talking fusion tugboats.
Space/Science » in reply to It's a puzzlement.
Cost-benefit
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- Planetary Defense
- Let me see if I can clarify it for you
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- It's a puzzlement.
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- Something like the AAVSO or ALPO.
- re: Something like the AAVSO or ALPO.
- Excuse me, but amateurs can not provide warning of an impactor
- Something like the AAVSO or ALPO.
- Let me see if I can clarify it for you as well
- Cost-benefit
- Let me see if I can clarify it for you