How NASA Will Harpoon An Asteroid

They should get a creepy old guy with a asteroid bone leg to go nuts and throw it at the rock while shouting:

"to the last I grapple with thee, from hell's heart I stab at thee, for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee"

Unfortunately the crew all have to die (apart from one), but thats the price you pay to get stuff done.
 
What is the point of harpooning a asteroid? I dont get it.

To prove that god (I don't capitalize fictitious characters) doesn't exist!! Well, maybe we can't prove that, but I had to say anyway. "
Sure, I'll eat your Bible, but it will take me many days of munching and snacking!" Kids in the Hall.
 
Well, there is an asteroid that can potentially hit Earth in the coming decades, called Apophis. First encounter will be in 2029. At that point it'll go so close to earth that it'll dip below our satellites. A news-maker for sure. The 2nd encounter in 2036 which may or may not hit us depending on where it goes in 2029. It's a low chance but better safe than sorry.

I'm not sure about the harpooning bit, but one of the safer ideas to get the asteroid away from the Earth is to have a satellite park by the asteroid, let gravity pull the two objects toward each other, and have the satellite use rockets to keep itself at a distance. Rinse and repeat till the asteroid is out of harm's way.
 
(damn, no edit button)

I actually read the damn article and I guess the intent for this thing is to land people onto it? o_O
 
But if the asteroid has a metal core, how will they be able to drill into it to plant the a-bomb so we can blow it up and have one of those death star blowing up in the sky moments for people on earth to see?
 
Well, there is an asteroid that can potentially hit Earth in the coming decades, called Apophis. First encounter will be in 2029. At that point it'll go so close to earth that it'll dip below our satellites. A news-maker for sure. The 2nd encounter in 2036 which may or may not hit us depending on where it goes in 2029. It's a low chance but better safe than sorry.

I'm not sure about the harpooning bit, but one of the safer ideas to get the asteroid away from the Earth is to have a satellite park by the asteroid, let gravity pull the two objects toward each other, and have the satellite use rockets to keep itself at a distance. Rinse and repeat till the asteroid is out of harm's way.

I thought it was going to fly by in 2012 or 2013?
 
Read the story and you'll see it's just to anchor a spacecraft to the asteroid since there is no/very little gravity.. Not nearly as cool as hauling it back to earth.
 
They could use that idea to mount Ion engines to Apophis, much better than gambling a satellite to just run into it, and survive the impact.
 
I thought they were referring to harpooning in the way of gathering resources, like harpooning an asteroid to be dragged against a mining vessel or towed into earth's orbit and harvested of its minerals. Many of the rocks in the belt and a few near-earth asteroids have some serious ore in them.
 
And the chances of altering its course so that the next time it comes around it's playing planet billiards or moon marbles are? :eek:
 
To prove that god (I don't capitalize fictitious characters) doesn't exist!! Well, maybe we can't prove that, but I had to say anyway. "
Sure, I'll eat your Bible, but it will take me many days of munching and snacking!" Kids in the Hall.

Well damn, didn't take long for an insecure, ignorant atheist to threadcrap.:rolleyes:
 
They should get a creepy old guy with a asteroid bone leg to go nuts and throw it at the rock while shouting:

"to the last I grapple with thee, from hell's heart I stab at thee, for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee"

Unfortunately the crew all have to die (apart from one), but thats the price you pay to get stuff done.

Only if the rock's white tho...
 
What a tremendous ..As you were. What a Horrendous waste of tax payer money and resources. They need to use that money trying to find alternatives to fossil fuels and nuclear energy.
 
It does make sense to take samples from asteroids. Though the chance to discover new elements/isotopes is small, the positive benefits of looking outside our solar system are awesome.

Also, who else hopes they discover adamantium??
 
What a tremendous ..As you were. What a Horrendous waste of tax payer money and resources. They need to use that money trying to find alternatives to fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

I don't think that's NASA's job...besides NASA already did that when they invented the sun!
 
Harpoon the asteroid and tether it to earth...drill into it and create a small colony/living area. Use the earth's rotation to then slingshot the asteroid out into space!
 
They should get a creepy old guy with a asteroid bone leg to go nuts and throw it at the rock while shouting:

"to the last I grapple with thee, from hell's heart I stab at thee, for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee"

Unfortunately the crew all have to die (apart from one), but thats the price you pay to get stuff done.

Moby Dick reference............Good one. :D
 
I think they should have Patrick Stewart harpoon the asteroid.

Oh yeah, double reference!
 
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