Big Plans
February 17th, 2007Let me just say: John Edwards has a campaign I can get behind: literally!
But seriously. I like John Edwards — saw him on Bill Maher last night — and he’s a good man with good sense and good values. I’m not sure who I’ll be endorsing in the primaries now that my main man has officially ruled out a run for the Presidency, but it increases the odds that I’ll support Edwards. Who knows — Edwards and Vilsack are my favorites right now, followed by Ms. Clinton, but that can all change once the actual campaign gets underway, because it hasn’t started yet.
What has started, right now, is the political nonsense that makes Americans cynical, and this goes for both parties: the massive fundraising, the “careful attempts at positioning one’s self on the issues,” all of that. I won’t be making any endorsements until the actual campaigning for the public support has begun as opposed to the campaigning for the bigwigs’ money and reporters’ attention that’s going on now.
Now, onto something that could literally be Earth-shattering as opposed to figuratively: for those of you, of us, who worry that an asteroid might destroy the Earth, fear not! The UN is to decide who will do what in the event of an asteroid hurtling toward the Earth. They are to present it to the World for Ratification sometime in 2009. Which means, of course, that if an asteroid comes before then, we’re screwed.
The UN draft treaty would establish who should be in charge in the event of an asteroid heading towards Earth, who would pay for relief efforts and the policies that should be adopted. In addition, it would set out possible plans to deflect the object. Ideas could include hitting the asteroid with a spacecraft or rocket to deflect its orbit. Other less destructive proposals include a “gravity tug” that would simply hover over the asteroid and use gravity as a “towline” to change its path. But any decision to deflect an NEO could come with its own set of conundrums for the UN, as changing its path may simply alter its final target.
“It’s important to understand when you start to deflect an asteroid that certain countries are going to have accept an increase in risk to their populations in order to take the risk to zero for everyone,” said Dr Schweickart. It is difficult decisions like this which can only be addressed by the UN, the Association of Space Explorers believes. And it is under no illusion that the process can be sorted out quickly. “You have to act when things look like they are going to happen - if you wait until you know for certain, it’s too late,” said Dr Schweickart.
Aim it at China please.