Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science

Should humanity deflect the NEO asteroid, Apophis, prior to 2029, or should we leave it alone?
Jacob Samorodin — (archived)

You all know that Apophis is going to pass [roughly] some 20,000 miles from Earth
in 2029...IF...humanity does nothing to interfere with its trajectory until then.

The risk of an impact with Earth on its return in 2036 is a tiny risk indeed.

But you never know: A meteorite may collide with the asteroid in the intervening years,
or the complexity of three-body/four-body, etc. gravitational interactions
may throw us a nasty surprise....Even an impact with a GEO satellite in 2029 may
create a proverbial "butterfly effect", if you're familiar with the term.

But I say, why put off an asteroid deflection program to target Apophis for sometime after 2029?
Why leave it to your children or grandchildren to deal with the peril orbiting nearby?

Could you imagine a politician 'publically' telling his grandchildren [hypothetically]
that, "an asteroid may hit their planet in their lifetime, and its their problem", the politician adding that, "he won't fund an asteroid deflection program."?

I would impeach such a politician.

Jake

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