Near Earth Object Information Centre National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester Press Release, Thursday 20th June 2002: Asteroid 2002MN
For immediate release
Asteroid 2002MN gives Earth its closest shave in years
On Friday 14 June, an asteroid the size of a football pitch made one of the closest ever recorded approaches to Earth. Astronomers working on the LINEAR search programme, near Socorro, New Mexico first detected the giant rock on 17 June, a few days after its close approach.
The Near Earth Object, known to astronomers as '2002MN', was travelling at over 10 km/s (23,000 miles per hour) when it passed Earth at a distance of around 120,000 km (75,000 miles), bringing it well inside the Moon's orbit. The last time a known asteroid passed this close was back in December 1994.
Asteroids are typically too small and distant to measure their size directly from Earth, so scientists use the amount of light they reflect, along with a basic understanding of the materials they are made of, to estimate their size. With a diameter between 50-120 metres, 2002 MN is a lightweight among asteroids and incapable of causing damage on a global scale, such as the object associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs.
However, if it had hit the Earth, 2002MN may have caused local devastation similar to that which occurred in Tunguska, Siberia in 1908, when 2000 square kilometres of forest were flattened. Whilst the vast majority of NEOs discovered do not come this close, such near misses do highlight the importance of detecting these objects. This reminder comes in a week when the UK telescopes on La Palma are being tested to search for NEOs.
Brief Description of Object Object Designation: 2002MN Date of First Observation: 17/06/02 Number of Observations: 14 Search Team: LINEAR (Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research) Date of Closest Approach: 14/06/02 Closest Approach Distance: 0.000797 AU or 119,229 km (0.3 Lunar Distances) Asteroids Velocity Relative to Earth at Closest Approach: 10.58 km/s (23,667 miles per hour) Estimated Diameter of Asteroid: 50-120 metres Orbital Period: 894.9 days
For further information contact: Kevin Yates (Project Officer) Near Earth Object Information Centre. +44(0)116 2582130 or 07740 896141; email: [email protected]
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
One day we *will* be able to launch rockets full of shitty actors to place nuclear bombs on them!
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Armageddon was an awful movie, true, but I don't think a complete lack of acting talent was the problem. After all, many of its cast is consistently good to great in non-Bay productions.
Posted by EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
the problems with "Armageddon" are the same problems that "Reign of Fire" most likely will have (well, probably already has, but the movie isn't out yet so i can ony speculate): script writers who had just graduated from first grade when they got the job and people with money but no higher brain functions.
[ June 21, 2002, 01:58: Message edited by: EdipisReks ]
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
quote:Astronomers working on the LINEAR search programme, near Socorro, New Mexico first detected the giant rock on 17 June, a few days after its close approach.
A few days after !?! What the hell is the point of that? "It has just been announced that the state of montana was completely devestated by an asteroid impact three days ago..."
Posted by EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
i'm sure that an actual asteroid hit would have been easier to notice. Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
"Armageddon" was no where near as hideous as "Deep Impact", Morgan Freeman's "Life will go on" speech notwithstanding.
Posted by EdipisReks (Member # 510) on :
they were both bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. as reign of fire will be.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Armaggedon had good special effects...which is about the only good thing I can say about it, save the scene where Bruce Willis is reading the crew's demands. "You guys can't tell us who killed Kennedy, can you?"
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
quote:A few days after !?! What the hell is the point of that?
The point is "If we had more search resources, we'd have a much better chance of spotting these things before it's too late, so raise the budget!"
[ June 22, 2002, 08:23: Message edited by: First of Two ]
Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :
I really like Armageddon...in fact, it's probably one of my favorite movies, mostly because it didn't really try to be very serious. I appreciate it as a comedy, which might even be what the creators intended.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
It's a $140 million action/comedy. Maybe they could've used some of their budget to get a writer.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Does the demographic that they were targetting, really care about writing?
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
I actually thought Armageddon was a pretty good action film. Mind you, anyone who went in expecting the film version of "War and Peace" is smoking really good crack. Especially compared to "Deep Impact", Armageddon is a work of art.
Compared to recent films like Insomnia, or Memento, Armageddon doesn't stand up. Compared to older films, it doesn't stand up. It'll never be on the quality level of a lot of films.
But as far as fun science fiction films goes, it was pretty damn good, damn fun and worth the cost of the ticket.
And it had a great score, to boot.
[ June 22, 2002, 20:42: Message edited by: Snay ]
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
"Compared to recent films like Insomnia, or Memento, Armageddon doesn't stand up"
Compared to recent fruit like apples, or bananas, oranges don't stand up.
Why would they need to?
Christopher Nolan had better invest in a sturdier wagon, if this keeps up.
[ June 22, 2002, 20:45: Message edited by: The Same Ultra Magnus ]
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Compared to jabbing needles dipped in urine into my eyes, Armageddon was only somewhat painful.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Yes, but you are hardly Mr light and fluffy Abba-listener, are you Simon?
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
I suspect only dangerous and hip urban films appeal to Simon, like the upcoming Swimfan.
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
and the current "Juwanna Man". by the way, i saw Minority Report tonight, and it KICKS ASS. even better than Gattaca as a sci-fi drama/thriller.
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Bah. Spielbergified Philip K. Dick. Oxymoron aside, it was fairly decent though. Nothing as powerful as Armageddon, I'll grant.
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
of course the ending is killed by the fact that presentations weapons are never packed with live ammo. ever.
[ June 23, 2002, 15:31: Message edited by: TSN ]
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
A "to scale" representation of the film's budget?
Also, this is like the second Dick short story to be made into a very different movie than the source in a very short time span. At Least Minority Report was good. Impostor made me want to cut my own face off.
[ June 22, 2002, 22:50: Message edited by: The Same Ultra Magnus ]
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
well, Blade Runner was the movie i would have used, Magnus, instead of Imposter, but i think that was why you didn't use it. you didn't want to be like me.
Posted by thoughtychops (Member # 480) on :
A Lot of eyeball humor in that movie.
Which is rare.
Guess me playfully calling Tom Cruise "Shiteyes" after MI2 was a display of precognition, eh?
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
"you didn't want to be like me"
That goes without saying.
Also, I was noting the point of interest that the films opened within 6 months of each other.
[ June 22, 2002, 22:52: Message edited by: The Same Ultra Magnus ]
Posted by thoughtychops (Member # 480) on :
Don't forget Screamers. Plenty of Dick rolling over in his grave there, too.
[ June 22, 2002, 22:54: Message edited by: thoughtychops ]
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
here is a list of reviews for Imposter, if anyone is interested. by the way, Magnus, what is your definition of "short story"? i thought "Do Androids...." was short, but i guess you weren't including it in your list since it was published as a "novel". i guess it depends on whether we are using subjective definition or publishing definitions.
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Well, we'd need the publishing definitions, else it'd be up to you to define 'short.' If all I read are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books, then a grocery list would be a short story for me. But, if you're in the habit of reading things like Poor Fellow My Country, then things like Anna Karenina seem short.
Also, this is too much talk about Mr. Dick. He was a paranoid monkey who didn't know how to properly finish anything, which is why the films of his novels are always, like, radically different, man. Or perhaps, I'm buying too much into his mainstream criticisms. I'm a trendwhore.
[ June 22, 2002, 23:08: Message edited by: The Same Ultra Magnus ]
Posted by Thoughtchopper (Member # 480) on :
I used to read the Time Machine variant of Choose-Your-Own Adventure.
1863 was my favorite. You had to outwit bunch of slavers based upon your knowledge of the American Civil War.
Or you could just keep flipping back and forth until you read the whole thing.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Hey, I'm not that elitist. Am I? Oh, I hate myself.
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
quote:1863 was my favorite. You had to outwit bunch of slavers based upon your knowledge of the American Civil War.
i'm assuming that the character you portrayed was black. if it was a white character, you could have outwitted the slavers by waving and saying "howdy".
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Philip Dick is one of my favorite authors.
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
You are too full of the funny Simon. You should put material like that to work in like a newspaper or something. You'd surpass even Dave Barry.
Posted by Thoughtchopper (Member # 480) on :
Nope. There was no ethnic spin in the book. The south was just full of motherfuckers who wanted to kill you, because they were Bad. Evil Rebel Bastards.
Actually, the whole thing revolved around getting a slave out of the south, being as how he was critical to the time-stream or some such.
It was pretty engaging stuff in the second grade.
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
The time stream had become overrun with cotton?
Yes, yes.
[ June 22, 2002, 23:29: Message edited by: The Same Ultra Magnus ]
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I'm not sure I see where I let the funny leak out...
Posted by Thoughtchopper (Member # 480) on :
Yessa, massa! I's be cleaning dem nassy paradoxes right up!
"I be working in da time-stream, all da live long daaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy..."
Jesus. Bad images to have in your head this late in the day.
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
i think it's funny that the author of a "through the black hole" type choose-your-own adventure didn't really understant how relativity would affect things. makes the book....unpredictable. and stupid. i forgot to add that it also makes the book stupid.
[ June 23, 2002, 00:10: Message edited by: The Real Folk Blues ]
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
quote:I'm not sure I see where I let the funny leak out...
i think it is because you used the word "dick". Magnus being in 3rd grade, and all.
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Har!
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
exactly, Maggie ol' chum. now go drink your juice. it makes the body good.
Posted by Thoughtchopper (Member # 480) on :
I heard it from a bloke who knows a bloke, who knows a bloke.
Do I know this bloke?
This is a bloke you know.
Juicy.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
These are the Daves I know, I know, these are the Daves I know?
Posted by The Real Folk Blues (Member # 510) on :
hey Shik, do you think he means the one called David, or the one who's just called Dave?
Posted by Nim Pim (Member # 205) on :
"Plenty of Dick rolling..." Now wait just a goddamn minute!
"You are too full of the funny Simon." I specifically said wait just a goddamn minute!
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Simon likes Dick. Heh. Heh.
*hangs head in shame*
Posted by The Same Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
TSN GOT THE CRUDITY POWERUP AND SHAMED THE GAME!
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Actually, Simon talking about his love of Dick was my signature for a while, about a year back. . .
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote: The point is "If we had more search resources, we'd have a much better chance of spotting these things before it's too late, so raise the budget!"
The USA has a tracking system for all of the stuff we have shot into space. The same system can identify new objects very quickly, and got involved in finding near earth objects as a side line, because it could do it easily. Four or five of this type of scope, dedicated to finding NEO's could take care of much. I think the instillations cost about 65 million per.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Just a question, say we could detect objects headed for Earth, could we actually do anything? Or would this be just another way to depress us? (Shitty day at work, got dumped, my favorite TV show got cancelled.....hey Earth is going to be blown up in a year....)
And if someone says we should send up a bunch of oil rig flunkies, they get the smackdown Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
How much time are we talking? Days, years, centuries?
Ha ha time! An automated system using powerful telescopes to discover and track potential Neos sounds like a good thing, but surely it would make for a dull film? And leather overcoats may be fine for gunplay and the occasional kung fu grudge match, but they aren't really observatory wear.
Posted by Jernau Morat Gurgeh (Member # 318) on :
I think you need to know of an imminent collision at least 2 years in advance to be able to realistically do anything to prevent it. If you hit the asteroid early enough at 90 degrees to its trajectory it should be possible to deflect it sufficiently. New Scientist, February.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
"Hit it"? With what?
Posted by Ultimate Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Can't you read? We hit it with...FANCY TEXAS OIL MINERS IN A FANCY SPACE SHUTTLE!! AND BEN AFFLECK!! HE ADDS A LEVEL OF SEXY IN SPACE THAT NOT SINCE THAT DUMBASS DOG HAS BEEN SEEN!
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
With a mass-driver package or a nuke mounted on a probe engine..
Of course, that means we'd better get to developing one.
Emperor First the First will see to it that this is done. Just another good reason.
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