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Space Science

Asteroid Landing 21

Posted by michael from the five-mph-bumpers-standard dept.
guardia writes "This is my first submit to Slashdot and the following looked cool enough to me and since I haven't seen it posted yet on Slashdot, here goes! Basically, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, ISAS, is planning to launch the M-V rocket from its Kagoshima Space Center located in Uuchinoura, Kagoshima. The rocket will contain the small craft Muses-C (also available in Japanese) which should land on Asteroid 1998SF36 (the "star prince"), leave a million names or so (you can register yours for free!) on the target marker, and come back with some surface samples."
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Asteroid Landing More

Asteroid Landing

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  • Yeah great, and now that they have your name, all the ETs have to do is a Google search and you'll start getting collect telemarketing calls from outer space!
      • "Oh no, you didn't, tell me you didn't send your name to that asteroid" Alice pleaded to Mineka. But Mineka couldn't tell her for she had sent her name to the satellite, and would remain an empty zombie until someone went and dealt with the nameless evil doing this to those who had sent their names to the asteroid and in so doing. unwittingly committed themselves to it.

        I know...Lousy and repetitive. Can you do better?
  • Personnally I see heaps of alarm bells ringing in this. Ill elaborate on a few
    1. Return mission :- Im pretty sure this will be really really expensive for very little benefit.
    2.Email/Confirm Email :-Why the hell are they putting this on an asteroid
    3.Half the sections of the page are "under construction" :- If I was spending billions on a rocket i would finnish the web page

    Aside from that it is the vibe of it (this is a reference for any australian fans of the castle ;) )
  • Aliens perform a detailed scan of our solar system in the far distant future and find the asteroid. Unfortunately they won't be able to get any information from it since it has been slashdotted.
  • ...is to hang out on an asteroid.

  • better link / possible scam (Score:3, Informative)

    by freuddot ( 162409 ) on Tuesday May 14, 2002 @01:23PM (#3518271)
    The real site, to me, is : www.isas.ac.jp [isas.ac.jp]

    The one linked looks like a scam to get a few millions address email of people interested in space/science. Here comes the sci./tech. spam ! Nowhere on the official site ( that I can see ) do they talk about leaving your name on the asteroid.

    J.
    • I dont know how that sort of thng works but maybe the poster can do an update to the story with the link you provided.
    • The owner of the link (reformatted to get past /.'s silly lameness filter)

      PLANETARY.OR.JP
      The Planetary Society of Japan
      Non Profit Organization
      AK1013JP
      AK1013JP
      GS078JP
      ns1.dns .ne.jp
      ns2.dns.ne.jp
      itc2@a1.mbn.or.jp
      jpnic-st aff@sakura.ad.jp
      Connected (2002/10/31)
      1999/10/20
      1999/11/08
      2002/04/25 12:02:18 (JST)
      gaku@sakura.ad.jp

    • The one linked looks like a scam to get a few millions address email of people interested in space/science

      At first I thought you might be right - the person who submitted the story seemes a bit too excitable, and was using a brand new account. However, if it is a scam, either it is the most eloborate, well constructed plan ever (The Planetary Society of Japan is a subsidiary of the Planetary Society, who publish journals, have vast archives of material and comprehensive websites) or their websit got r00ted and someone tagged the "spoof" page on their server. Considering s' kiddies couldnt write something so coherent as that webpage, I would have to say this looks real.
  • Apparently the names are being etched onto aluminum foil, but I can't find any more detail than that. I'm wondering, are we talking about reynolds wrap and an impact "etching" device (ie your garden variety typewriter / dot matrix printer) ...?
    I'd love to get my hands on better details about the actual engraving. Although it seems like plain ol' aluminum foil is probably the most economical choice, I've gotta wonder how long you'd be able to read the fine print. Never mind just the asteroid's own collection of dust and debris to sand away yer loved one's moniker - there's also those pesky micrometeorite impacts to consider...
  • I can just see this asteroid slamming into an alien world in a couple hundred years. They discover the names on the asteroid and consider it an attack by us (our names are on it of course...) While we're still paddling around trying to get to Mars, they show up on our doorstep and either blow us all up, or just those who put their names on the rock (or their great-great-great grandchildren).

  • I think its a scam. I doubt that would happen unless there is something more to it. Maybe the asteroid is heading towards earth, and they need to deflect it? BLAST some names in the sand, push it off course.

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