Baub

My opinion may seem harsh. However, I think we should show this Sea Captain the respect he deserves. He made an honorable decision when he bartered himself for his crews safety, knowing it could mean his life. We should give the enemy one hour to release the Captain. One hour later, two Seals should silently surface at the boat and kill all the pirates.

Exactly why such a venture would need to be undertaken by a group of countries, under the unifying banner of species preservation. These countries would need to share the responsiblities, from design through oversight.

I think it all comes down to funding. I am sure that it is easier to allocate funding for something "warm and fuzzy" like finding another earth than for something as frightening as addressing doomseday scenarios. Most people will hear that an object passed 45,000 miles from Earth and think....so what.

Understood. I like your signature.

I will go out on a limb. Or.....it could be extremely focussed Qi(chi). I know this is outside accepted western science, but I think science will eventually support the existence of it.

The spread sounds like the major hurdle. Early detection would be instrumental in maneuvering closer....or, perhaps some sort of relay stations that could recieve the focused power and direct it at the object?

It will be exciting to see what data comes back. I think we need to let go of the premise of a"habitable zone". It is arrogant of us to assume that we know all scenarios in which life forms. Perhaps environments we have labeled as uninhabitable are where life off earth is thriving?

I agree with you that some sort of beam or laser makes the most sense. How about a solar powered, magnesium combustion, laser?

I take it then, that fossils this old are very rare? The samples from the Kola bore hole were estimated at 2.7 billion years old.

Perhaps as space shuttles are scheduled to retire from service, due to the stresses of launch and re-entry, they could be positioned in orbit? They could be unmanned, and when a NEO threat was detected, they could "shadow" the object. Judging from the NASA experiments I mentioned earlier, the magnetic field generated by the spacecraft could work as a gravity tractor and nudge it off course.

Thanks for the input. Yes, it definitely makes sense. I am aware of sea floors on mountain tops, I just did not realize a sea floor could be pulled down like that. It amazes me that, not only was it pulled down, but the plankton remained in tact. The forces being exerted on it are astounding. I am surprised the plankton wasn't ground into a fine dust.

I recently read an article: The Deepest Hole by Alan Bellows, discussing the Kola Superdeep Bore Hole project. The article states.. "Another unexpected find was a menagerie of microscopic fossils as deep as 6.7 kilometers below the surface. Twenty-four distinct species of plankton microfossils were found, and they were discovered to have carbon and nitrogen coverings rather than the typical limestone or silica. Despite the harsh environment of heat and pressure, the microscopic remains were remarkably intact". How is this possible?

How about International Step Parent day. A truley tough job, but worth the effort. Plus it could easily tie in with "Support Your Local Brewery Day". I sometimes reflect on my parenting over a pint of black ale.

True, and I did not allow for the effects of a "nuclear winter". If....lets say next week, seismologists predict an imminent eruption of Yellowstone, there would be nothing we could do to prevent it. However, if we can detect an object on a collision course with earth, we may be able to save our species.

True. I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to take the kids to Yellowstone. A Yellowstone eruption would be a devistating event, but the threat from space COULD be an exstinction level event.