OT- Impact of an asteriod hitting Eastern USA

[gregebowman]

Even though it's probably 25 years or so since I've read Robert A. Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, there was one thing in that book that always stuck in my mind. IIRC, the moon population was rebelling and trying to become an indepent state. In one scene, the moon miners, insteading of sending moon rocks in a controlled descent to earth, rigged the machinery so that they were using it as a weapon and hitting whatever targets they wanted to. I've always wondered that if we could ever get a moon colony going, if such a weapon could be made and we could take shots at whoever we wanted to. Imaging sending a big rock at Tehran? Or Syria? Or maybe once China makes whatever move they have in mind?

[oleg]

Originally posted by gregebowman:
Even though it's probably 25 years or so since I've read Robert A. Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, there was one thing in that book that always stuck in my mind. IIRC, the moon population was rebelling and trying to become an indepent state. In one scene, the moon miners, insteading of sending moon rocks in a controlled descent to earth, rigged the machinery so that they were using it as a weapon and hitting whatever targets they wanted to. I've always wondered that if we could ever get a moon colony going, if such a weapon could be made and we could take shots at whoever we wanted to. Imaging sending a big rock at Tehran? Or Syria? Or maybe once China makes whatever move they have in mind?

So that is why China wants to set up a moon base by 2025

[Cyrien]

Originally posted by Taz-in-Space:
On that world atlas site I found:

Russia 17,075,400 sq km, (6,592,846 sq miles)
Canada 9,330,970 sq km, (3,602,707 sq miles)
China 9,326,410 sq km, (3,600,947 sq miles)
United States 9.166,600 sq km, (3,539,242 sq miles)
Brazil 8,456,510 sq km, (3,265,075 sq miles)
Australia 7,617,930 sq km, (2,941,283 sq miles)
India 2,973,190 sq km, (1,147,949 sq miles)
Argentina 2,736,690 sq km, (1,056,636 sq miles)
Kazakhstan 2,717,300 sq km, (1,049,150 sq miles)
Sudan 2,376,000 sq km, (917,374 sq miles)

Seems to be some disagreement on who's third largest!

Not really the problem is in definitions. Yours is Land Area mine was actually (I mislabeled it) Total Area.

Total Area is international borders and so counts inland water bodies etc. The other is just the land, and subtracts any area covered in water. The US has about twice the water area of China so Total Area is larger for US while Land Area is larger for China.

[Cyrien]

And something fun to make your own comparisons with other nations.

[Captain Kwok]

CBC television in Canada had an interesting 2hr program at 8pm EST tonight called "Asteroid! The Doomsday Rock". I thought it was done rather well - especially compared to those normal Discovery Channel/TLC ones that are on sometimes. It covered the actually Groups/agencies that are responsible for identifying and tracking many of the asteroids that could potentially harm Earth at some point and developing possible methods for diverting a potential impact. Interesting stuff.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

i always thought a bunch of nukes would pretty much take care of any asteriod. but maybe i'm just revieling a liking for brute force. nah. i think the hammer's already did that.

[Roanon]

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
i always thought a bunch of nukes would pretty much take care of any asteriod.

You're lookking too much cheap american TV Vacuum = no atmosphere = no air pressure = pretty ineffective nukes. Even if you make very deep tight holes into an asteroid and bLast there, you will probably end up with just several pieces hitting earth instead of one. It would be more effective if you cover the asteroid in white paint and let the sun deflect it.