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Is ignorance bliss?


anonymo

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So remember Apophis? The asteroid that could possibly end this whole Mac vs. PC debate? (highly unlikely).

 

Anyways, NASA apparently didn't think about it as much as this 13 year old brat eating nerdlinger.

 

Bet you all wish GC had bought that abandoned missile facility now!

 

http://www.dailytech.com/German+Schoolboy+...rticle11508.htm

 

Obvious response from NASA

quote:

[The asteroid will pass] within the distance of Earth's geosynchronous satellites. However, because Apophis will pass interior to the positions of these satellites at closest approach, in a plane inclined at 40 degrees to the Earth's equator and passing outside the equatorial geosynchronous zone when crossing the equatorial plane, it does not threaten the satellites in that heavily populated region

 

Whatever eggheads...you got shown up by a 13 year old German kid...he probably likes Pokemon and techno...suckers

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Meh. Superman will save us. 1/450 is still pretty small. It's only 0.2% instead of 0.00002%. 0.2% is very very small, especially when you take into consideration the probability that superman does exist.

Edited by DarkArchon
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As someone with a degree in aerospace engineering I would like to see his calculations... the velocity change would be very very very small but so are variations in certain gravatational fields involved (not to mention other estimations inherent in the calculations) but over time and distance it can make a noticable change. How he can include one small change from a satellite and not any of the other very small forces involved does not make sense to me.

 

Even a relatively simple orbit from earth to another planet in our solar system can not be guaranteed, all spacecraft use small boosters to minutely alter their course to stay on course and reach their destination.

 

For one of my advance astrodynamics classes we worked on a design project to have a spacecraft reach an orbit around Jupiter with a gravity assist around mars. Took 5 people about 5 weeks, much of it focused on the trajectories. I do not buy that this kid could run by himself with that sort of accuracy.

 

But hey, maybe he made some assumptions to simplify it, who knows.

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As someone with a degree in aerospace engineering I would like to see his calculations... the velocity change would be very very very small but so are variations in certain gravatational fields involved (not to mention other estimations inherent in the calculations) but over time and distance it can make a noticable change. How he can include one small change from a satellite and not any of the other very small forces involved does not make sense to me.

 

Even a relatively simple orbit from earth to another planet in our solar system can not be guaranteed, all spacecraft use small boosters to minutely alter their course to stay on course and reach their destination.

 

For one of my advance astrodynamics classes we worked on a design project to have a spacecraft reach an orbit around Jupiter with a gravity assist around mars. Took 5 people about 5 weeks, much of it focused on the trajectories. I do not buy that this kid could run by himself with that sort of accuracy.

 

But hey, maybe he made some assumptions to simplify it, who knows.

They already found out that the kid is wrong. At least that's what i read..

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So, an asteroid big enough to cause near planet killing event could have it's trajectory significantly altered by an orbiting satellite? Suspect.

Yes a 4 ton satellite with the right spacial velocity (about 12km/s) will (supposedly) change the asteroid's velocity just slightly, sending it off course as it makes its first pass by Earth in 2029. It would be enough to cause it to hit the Earth on it's second pass in 2036. NASA has acknowledged this, but basically said that there's no significant chance that a satellite would ever hit the asteroid, so they discounted it.

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i really want to know how a 13 old would of done such calculations assuming me made some assumptions. normally, at age 13 your in 8th grade and you probably have only taking math as high as algebra and maybe have some basic understandings of geometry. now how would a kid disprove NASA people with that basic knowledge?

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i really want to know how a 13 old would of done such calculations assuming me made some assumptions. normally, at age 13 your in 8th grade and you probably have only taking math as high as algebra and maybe have some basic understandings of geometry. now how would a kid disprove NASA people with that basic knowledge?

Does anyone read anything any more? The kid didn't disprove anything, NASA clearly stated that his calculations were correct, but they are not willing to accept a satellite hitting the asteroid as possible, the kid does.

 

From what I read at DT the calculations are very basic calculus that is most likely taught in a intro astronomy class or club. Most people could throw a bucket of pebbles at a Ti-86 and perform the same calculations this kid used. People need to stop assuming the kid actually did anything but open his loud mouth.

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i really want to know how a 13 old would of done such calculations assuming me made some assumptions. normally, at age 13 your in 8th grade and you probably have only taking math as high as algebra and maybe have some basic understandings of geometry. now how would a kid disprove NASA people with that basic knowledge?

Does anyone read anything any more? The kid didn't disprove anything, NASA clearly stated that his calculations were correct, but they are not willing to accept a satellite hitting the asteroid as possible, the kid does.

 

From what I read at DT the calculations are very basic calculus that is most likely taught in a intro astronomy class or club. Most people could throw a bucket of pebbles at a Ti-86 and perform the same calculations this kid used. People need to stop assuming the kid actually did anything but open his loud mouth.

I did read the article. Disprove was the wrong choose of words on my part but he managed to show the lack there of what NASA failed to look at.

 

How many 13yr olds are taking calculus? Please enlightment me. Even say he has a TI-89 or whatever he still would have to understand the calculation at least at some level of basic caluclus to even do such calculation. Cause Idk about you but learning calculus wasn't the easiest thing for me. I know that I had to atleast learn it on paper before using a calculator.

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I would like to start a petition to have the name changes to Stuttering John....

 

Because he is a giant life sucking &*(())& for which there is a 0.02% chance of escape...

 

:)

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So, an asteroid big enough to cause near planet killing event could have it's trajectory significantly altered by an orbiting satellite? Suspect.

 

What if it hits all 40,000 of them at the same time? It could cover the earth:)

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