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Space Science

Simulation Of An Asteroid Impact In The Year 2880 411

JoeRobe writes "Researchers at UCSC have simulated a possible outcome of an impact by asteroid 1950DA when it passes near us in the year 2880. Note that there is a 0.3% chance of impact during that encounter. In the event that it impacts in the Atlantic, they predict that the '60,000 megaton blast' would create 400 foot waves along the east coast. In addition to an assessment of the danger, their studies point out the resulting geologic features that we should be looking for now, which would indicate where and when such impacts have occured in the past."
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Simulation Of An Asteroid Impact In The Year 2880

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  • Actually... (Score:5, Funny)

    by SquireCD ( 465008 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:31AM (#6054715)
    I believe that nuclear war will have killed us all by then. Don't worry about the comet.
  • Uhm... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:32AM (#6054721)
    their studies point out the resulting geologic features that we should be looking for now, which would indicate where and when such impacts have occured in the past.

    Craters?
  • by ObviousGuy ( 578567 ) <ObviousGuy@hotmail.com> on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:32AM (#6054723) Homepage Journal
    And thus I do not care.
  • by ramzak2k ( 596734 ) * on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:33AM (#6054724)
    nuclear war
    what is that ? I hope you meant NUCULAR war.

  • by ciurana ( 2603 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:36AM (#6054732) Homepage Journal
    ...chicken_little.exe

    Cheers!

    E
  • Hope... (Score:3, Funny)

    by iworm ( 132527 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:37AM (#6054735)
    Well given the human race's ingenuity, if in the next 800 hundred years or so we haven't worked out a way to prevent this, we probably deserve extinction for being idle.

    Maybe we could all spend a little less on improving ways to kill each other, and a little more on planning our survival?
  • by fireman sam ( 662213 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:38AM (#6054739) Homepage Journal
    May 27, 2003
    Contact: Tim Stephens (831) 459-2495; stephens@ucsc.edu

    Massive tsunami sweeps Atlantic Coast in asteroid impact scenario for March 16, 2880
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    We're all fscked
  • by ramzak2k ( 596734 ) * on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:41AM (#6054747)
    yeah , besides if humans evolve as shown in hollywood, the women then will have three boobs and the mutant power to control the tsunami.
  • 90 Percent? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Unoriginal Nick ( 620805 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:43AM (#6054761)
    A NASA-led campaign to detect large asteroids in near-Earth orbits is about half way toward its goal of detecting 90 percent of those larger than 1 kilometer in diameter (the size of 1950 DA) by 2008.

    "Until we detect all the big ones and can predict their orbits, we could be struck without warning," said Asphaug. "With the ongoing search campaigns, we'll probably be able to sound the 'all clear' by 2030 for 90 percent of the impacts that could trigger a global catastrophe."

    Um, why is the goal to only find 90 percent of the asteroids that can kill us? Shouldn't they be trying to find all of them?

  • m@$5iV3 TsUnAmI 5W33p$ @7l@n7iC c0@57 In AsTeRoId ImP@C7 5C3N@Ri0 F0R M@rch 16, 2880
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    "In ThE m0vI3$ 7H3Y 5H0W 0N3 BiG w@v3, bU7 U aCtUaLlY 3Nd up Wi7h d0z3n$ 0f w@v35. 7H3 FiR57 oNeS 70 @RrIv3 @R3 PrEtTy SmAl
  • by canning ( 228134 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:44AM (#6054767) Homepage
    Who wants to bet it doesn't turn out like they predict? I'll bet my house on it.
  • by jkrise ( 535370 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:45AM (#6054771) Journal
    "In the event that it impacts in the Atlantic, they predict that the '60,000 megaton blast' would create 400 foot waves along the east coast."

    Wondering what'd happen if it hit anywhere near Seattle!? heh... forgot, it's gonna be more than 700 years away. Can we have a simulation of that thing in Seattle right now? In a place which rhymes with Deadbund?
  • by petecarlson ( 457202 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:45AM (#6054772) Homepage Journal
    I guess men will have to grow another hand...
  • graphics (Score:4, Funny)

    by UniverseIsADoughnut ( 170909 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:49AM (#6054784)
    Anyone else looking for the classic CNN artist rendition of an astoroid impact that looks like the moon hitting the earth to go with this story?
  • by toddhunter ( 659837 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:49AM (#6054786)
    And if I'm wrong, may we all be horribly crushed from above somehow
  • Re:Hope... (Score:0, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:50AM (#6054790)
    Maybe we could all spend a little less on improving ways to kill each other, and a little more on planning our survival?

    Why can't we do both? Unless you think the hippies are going to be the ones to stop an asteroid...

  • by tlambert ( 566799 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:52AM (#6054795)
    Our great^12 grandchildren are going to look back on news stories like this one and *laugh their feelers off*...

    -- Terry
  • by jinglecat ( 673072 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @02:58AM (#6054828)
    In 877 years from now, Strom Thurman *might* be dead.....
  • Tens of thousand dead, thousands drowned, babies killed and maimed.

    Homes destroyed, their leader missing, pandemonium falling into utter madness.

    Roads crumbled, storehouses plundered, the sky is literally falling.

    You can really mess up an anthill when you're 10 years old.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:02AM (#6054843)
    A hUgE r0ck tWo-tHiRdS 0F @ MiL3 in DiAmEtEr

    I see you're confident the USA won't have switched to metric by then.
  • by JumperCable ( 673155 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:03AM (#6054848)
    That's great for you but what about those to have cryogenically frozen themselves waiting for technology to develop far enough to revive them!
  • by Snoopy77 ( 229731 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:05AM (#6054858) Homepage
    Two hands and a mouth ... we are ready for the three breasted women!
  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:08AM (#6054870)
    Wasn't this one of the disater options in SimEarth? And it's so much easier, quicker, and cheaper to model it in SimEarth than those other computers...
  • by GoatPigSheep ( 525460 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:11AM (#6054880) Homepage Journal
    I find it funny how people talk about these so called "asteroids" that might strike earth and cause massive destruction. The idea of "giant rocks flying around in space" is almost impossible the fathom to any educated christian scientist. I believe these "asteroids" are just liberal propaganda.

    First of all, many people claim asteroids are what killed dinosaurs millions of years ago. This is impossible. God created in the earth in 6 days, not millions. It is entirely possible to assume then that dinosaurs and humans roamed the planet at the same time. At the time of the great flood (caused by God, not an asteroid!) the dinosaurs were too big to fit in the arc and that is why there are none today.

    Any educated right-wing christian knows that God is the only one who will cause massive destruction to earth, not a "floating ball of rock from outer space". There is no way to predict God's actions, we must simply have faith and follow his word. No tsunami will sweep away the faithful.

    Asteroids are simply the liberals way of trying to disprove God and attack the believes of educated right-wing christians! Do not accept this misinformation!
  • i say (Score:0, Funny)

    by George Wanker Bush ( 676496 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:24AM (#6054934) Journal
    It's NUCULAR war! Or NOCULAR. I'm not sure. Must remember to ask Clinton later today.
  • by LoztInSpace ( 593234 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:30AM (#6054952)
    Relax - when it hits it'll be no bigger than a Chihuahua's head.
  • Good (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:34AM (#6054971)
    Anything to stop the horror that is Adam Sandler. I'll pay any price.

  • by Hellkitten ( 574820 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:36AM (#6054978)

    But they'd be reading Slashdot even then?

    They will, an when the news hits they will complain it's a dupe: "So what the asteroid will hit tomorrow, this is old news it was posted like 800 years ago, fscking slashdot dupes"

  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:41AM (#6054992)
    No Silly...
    In the year 2012 we create a super computer that runs a version of linux. For a change all commands are prefixed with 'nu'. A bug in the system causes all console-related commands to affect memory too. This remains undiscovered.

    In the year 2084 all humans transfer their 'selves' into this massive comp and cease to exist as biological organisms.

    In the year 2100 the system becomes self-aware.

    On the night if October 20th,2100 the system issues a clear command that is nuclear
  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:50AM (#6055020)
    "....'60,000 megaton blast' would create 400 foot waves along the east coast..."
    Gosh, imagine a Beowolf cluster of those things!
  • by styrotech ( 136124 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @03:56AM (#6055042)
    Don't worry.

    By 2880 we will have developed amazing technology such as asteroid repellent beams, fusion and flying cars.


    Yeah right, next thing you'll be saying is that Duke Nukem Forever will be out by then!
  • by NamShubCMX ( 595740 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @04:11AM (#6055086)
    Bruce Willis will proabably be dead byt then. Who will save us?
  • by EvlOvrLrd ( 559820 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @04:14AM (#6055096)
    In light of this report, Tom Ridge is adding Rubber Rafts, or some other floatation devices to the list of items everyone should have on hand. In addition to duct tape and plastic sheet.
  • by styrotech ( 136124 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @04:15AM (#6055098)
    Doh, freudian typo there. I'm not sure what an anal pendant is (a Klingon maybe?), but it sounds gross!
  • Re:graphics (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @04:37AM (#6055164)
    What are the odds of this asteroid slamming in the moon, and thus driving the moon into earth?

    Depends on who's behind the cue... In fact, a professional player should be able to get the spin right so that the moon makes a soft landing on the Asian land mass... The only question is, where are we going to find a player of astronomical proportions?

  • Re:graphics (Score:0, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @05:49AM (#6055348)
    This sign would be on it too: "If you can read this, you're about to die."
  • oh well (Score:2, Funny)

    by Debian Troll ( 676582 ) <debian_troll@yahoo.com> on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @06:01AM (#6055379) Homepage Journal
    Debian 3.0 delayed again: developers blame difficulties of locating 800 year old 32 bit hardware to complete kernel 2.4 testing on. Claim current quantum computers 'not stable enough'. spare a moment to think of joel "espy" klecker.
  • by Cackmobile ( 182667 ) on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @06:56AM (#6055501) Journal
    Check out the Billabong XXL Surf Contest [billabongxxl.com]. They are only surfing 66 footers now. This would have them creaming the inside of their strides.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @09:16AM (#6056065)
    We better rush to get some DNA samples from Bruce Willis. We're gonna need him in about 880 years!
  • by schmink182 ( 540768 ) <schmink182 AT yahoo DOT com> on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @09:18AM (#6056076) Homepage
    If not, it might help our enegry crisis, supposing we still have one in almost 900 years. Picture a *huge* trampoline in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This thing sits there waiting for the asteroid, and when it finally hits our trampoline, it takes all the force and converts it to usable energy. Afterward, we have the entire asteroid in tact sitting in the middle of the ocean. Alternately, if we've already solved the energy problem, we could convert the shock into light and have a huge light show, blinding all fish. Then they'd be easier to catch!
  • Re:graphics (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @09:48AM (#6056320)
    "Yao!"
  • Um...? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Theaetetus ( 590071 ) <theaetetus,slashdot&gmail,com> on Wednesday May 28, 2003 @11:26AM (#6057377) Homepage Journal
    Here you go

    Um, isn't that the image of what happened one minute before the goatse picture was taken? (ewwww)

    -T

  • There was a Twilight Zone episode that was similar. Basically:

    Satan (or your local bad dude) says to someone, here, you can have a million dollars if you push this button, which will kill someone, but don't worry, you don't know them.

    So, after much discussion, they do it, and then he takes back the devices, and says he's off to give it to someone else... someone they don't know.

UNIX was not designed to stop you from doing stupid things, because that would also stop you from doing clever things. -- Doug Gwyn

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