Remember that, er, thing? The type of thing that maybe probably wiped out the dinosaurs? The kind of thing that flattened a big patch of Tunguska? The thing you thought somebody was watchin' out for?
You know, meteors. Asteroids. Flying rocks.
It's like this: do you own a telescope? 'Cos NASA's not looking. Oh, Congress told 'em to, even set a deadline and everything; but I guess they forgot that NASA doesn't have bake sales, 'cos Congress didn't then allocate any funds for the job.
Is it NASA's job? I dunno; me, I'd as soon that pay NORAD extra an'; had them do the lookin'; we know they can watch Earth-orbiting widgets and some of that skill set has got to be transferable. But hey, whoever, I'd sure sleep better if someone was looking.
Maybe we should have a bake sale.
I'd rather not know. It's not like they are able to do much about it they do see a "OHNOES! Dinosaur killer" sized rock.
ReplyDeleteCongress Critter's didn't allocate funds because the KNOW every thing revolves around THEM thus wont hit them.
ReplyDeleteAll that money they spend on other stuff, and no rural congress-person wanted to fund a satellite-hunting telescope set in his backyard?
ReplyDeleteFor shame.
I dunno, see Tam's post about Libbytarians and they things they'd like to see funded despite. In this case, it's the idiocy of tellin' NASA to do something and then then not givin' 'em the wherewithal that irks me. No bucks, no Buck Rogers and no "When Worlds Collide," either.
ReplyDeleteGreat Rutles line:
ReplyDelete"Man and machine
Keep yourself clean
or be a has-been
like a dinosaur"
Link for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePaHG6g7uFw
Great Beatles parody, funded by George Harrison.
The irony is that a lot of the bits detected optically are already outbound at +1 Earth orbital radius, due to that lighting angle thing. Radar is the way to go. Hey, anybody know anything about high power electronics?
ReplyDelete