Tracking Near-Earth Meteors With a 1.1 Petabyte Database

Lucas123 writes "The latest and most ambitious attempt to detect 'near-Earth objects' (NEOs) is the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or Pan-STARRS. When it's fully operational several years from now, it will have four telescopes, each with a 1.4-gigapixel camera. The system is expected to be able to track virtually all NEOs larger than 300 meters in diameter as well as many smaller ones. Rather than turning to an expensive supercomputer equipped with hundreds or thousands of processors, Pan-STARRS will use a cluster of 50 PC servers connected to 1.1 petabytes of disk storage via fast Infiniband networking gear."

That's nothing

[Enderandrew]

Back on my C64 I used to track incoming meteors and asteroids, and then blast them into smaller polygons that were much safer, but still a nuisance.

good

[FudRucker]

just let me know what a planet buster is about to arrive so i can mix a really strong drink and get blitzed one last time before mass extinction, at least i wont have to worry about a hangover...

In case of Armageddon

[runlevelfour]

Good thing that the meteors are being tracked so meticulously. That way if a big "planet ender" comes close enough we can send a crack team of entertaining miners up to plant nuclear devices on it. Oh and they better shell out a bit extra for a bitchin' soundtrack to go with it.

SQL eh?

[needs2bfree]

If i ever discover a NEO, im nameing it 17234 XKCD); DROP TABLE asteroids;

Re:SQL eh?

[Enderandrew]

No THX-1138 XKCD); DROP TABLE asteroids;

This is so misguided

[Al Al Cool J]

I'm sorry, but with 1.1 Petabytes of storage and 1.4-gigapixel cameras, they should be focussing on porn-stars, not Pan-STARRS.

Re:That's nothing

[Enderandrew]

NASA likes to call them weather balloons.

Re:good

[Enki X]

Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster: The effects of which are like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped 'round a large gold...meteor?