I am very sorry that there was property damage and nearly 1,000 injured (most not seriously).

But I am aghast at scientists so quick to capitalize on this and wanting to spend $100 million on a detector system for something with such a slim chance of actually happening.

As an example, in contrast, close to 1 million children and adults now have autism, with more being diagnosed every day. We aren´t talking about some cuts that may heal in a couple of week; we are talking about brain disorders that affect these people for their entire lives. Research shows that it is at least 60% environmental in nature. Yet no one is panicking and wanting to spend $100 million to keep this from happening to children and their families. Where is the sense of proportion? Are we willing to spend without end on something with an infinitesimal change of happening, rather than looking into the disorder that is affecting 1 in 88 of our children today?

Can I get a $10,000,000 grant to extend my donkey-tail weather station to also cover asteroid strikes?

FEMA News Flash! First Warning! Asteroid headed on a collision course with the planet earth. Asteroid is estimated to be 10 Km in diameter. All are advised to quickly, and in an orderly fashion, seek shelter in their homes or apartments, squat in a corner, put one´s head between one´s legs and kiss one´s butt Good-Bye. Stay tuned to your local first alert radio or television station for more details as they become available. That is all.

Near earth object base on the moon! Deal with objects farther away!

By an almost miracluous coincidence scientists and others have, within two days, announced they now can prevent similar disasters.

All they will need is a few hundred million $$$ annually and indefinitely. A couple of billion would be better.

I was not aware that we were in a race to save the earth from an asteroid . Is this the latest scam ? There always seems to be some crisis that requires huge piles of tax money being shoveled down rat holes.

Thank goodness that I got me some of that free government mandated meteor insurance...

Robert Heinlein´s science fiction classic "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" describes in some detail what rocks and gravity can do to Earth. The physics of a consequential mass entering our atmosphere at the correct angle and surviving to impact the Earth´s surface are apocalyptic. This latest thing was a love tap by comparison. It has been only one hundred years since the Siberian event. These things happen. It is not just likely that an extinction level event will happen to this planet some day; it is inevitable. Two things are imperative for our species to survive. First, we must invest whatever we can in systems to protect our planet. Second, we must--must--get some of our eggs into another basket. Permanent human habitations must somehow be established on other platforms. Because there is absolutely nothing permanent about this one.

Just hire backyard astronomers like the one who discovered the latest asteroid a year ago. There is truth to the statement, "The private sector can do better than the government."

If we can somehow convince congressional Democrats that an earth-ending event involving a meteor is somehow racially motivated and will harm women, minorities, gays, and minority children on WIC more than rich white guys, then you will suddenly see lots of action to take care of this problem. Until then, good luck getting the congressional Democrats to do anything that involves defunding the welfare state in pursuit of science and space technology.

Why worry? Maybe if this whole deal gets blown away, God will re-do it and get it all right next time. Wouldn´t that be fun?
Just lots of love, sunshine and everyone getting along with everyone else!

I´m not sure we´re worth saving. Besides, we made it this far without protection... Lets risk it.

"We must not lose the asteroid detection race!"

With a nod to George Orwell and Dr, Strangelove, isn´t it amazing how much outlandish sci-fi fiction is becoming reality?

Billion$ to give earthlings a one week warning of impending worldwide doom and calamity?

What will that accomplish?

Raping, looting, pillaging, plundering, settlement of old accounts and animosities?
The whole world will become a giant post-Katrina New Orleans.
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Apologies for the second post. I love Dr. Strangelove too, and I realize this sounds outlandish, but there is science and there is fiction. This part´s science: There have been in the past, and there will be in the future, planetary impacts large enough to kill us in large numbers. We have only two advantages: First, rocks don´t make choices. They move in pre-set patterns, and we can see where they´re going to hit months, or even years, in advance. Second, human beings do make choices. We can choose to be somewhere else when the rocks hit. Of course, choosing between mass death and planned evacuation is tough for some. The slopes of Vesuvius and the graveyards of New Orleans both prove it.