Talk:Asteroid impact avoidance

Asteroid impact prediction
The Asteroid impact prediction article has just moved from Draft to the main article space. Reviewers suggested that I should add some of the text from the Asteroid impact prediction article to this one (I have linked the Asteroid impact prediction article to this one already). Looking at the avoidance article it seems that it already contains some text on impact prediction, but is not currently identified as such. I.e. the avoidance article does not currently differentiate between the two separate stages of 1. predicting an impact, followed by 2. taking action to prevent the impact from happening.

I can see from comments in the avoidance article that there are some issues with the existing prediction text in that it is now quite out of date. Conveniently the new prediction article is lacking information on the history of impact prediction and could do with some of the text currently in the avoidance article. Can I suggest that we separate out the prediction text in the avoidance article to make it clear it is about prediction (adding a main article link), and then the bulk of the avoidance article can focus on the actual avoidance, which is a separate topic? Correspondingly an "Aftermath" section can be added to the prediction article detailing the options in the event of a predicted impact, which depending on the severity will include avoidance. Rafflesgluft (talk) 14:51, 25 August 2018 (UTC)


 * It's been a couple of months, and no objections or comments during that time, so I soon plan to start 1. copying the asteroid impact prediction text into the Asteroid impact prediction article, and then 2. removing it from this article, with an ultimate aim to leave this article focused on impact avoidance and the prediction article on prediction. Any last minute comments or objections, please shout up, otherwise I will go ahead under the assumption any interested parties are in agreement. Thanks Rafflesgluft (talk) 11:51, 29 October 2018 (UTC)

It's now three months so I have begun work:
 * copied Impact probability calculation pattern Rafflesgluft (talk) 17:28, 24 November 2018 (UTC)
 * copied (and edited) history and deep impact Rafflesgluft (talk) 19:00, 24 November 2018 (UTC)

2019 PDC
Anything about 2019 PDC, which was part of a NASA simulation? --136.8.33.70 (talk) 10:25, 6 May 2019 (UTC)
 * I think it's just the latest of a biennial tabletop simulation series by IAA with minor NASA support, of which Talk:2013 PDC-E seems to be the first. So, one article for the whole series ought to be enough. Jim.henderson (talk) 22:23, 9 May 2019 (UTC)

Asteroid impact avoidance in solar system
This article currently focuses a lot on avoiding asteroid impact on earth. However, avoiding asteroid impact on other planets in the solar system seems just as important. The idea is that if another planet is hit by a large enough asteroid to pull it out of orbit, those altered pull/repel forces of those planets may also alter the orbit of the earth, as it is kept in balance by their pull/repel forces. Chance of that happening seems way higher then just the chance of the earth itself being hit by a (large) asteroid.

Can the article mention this ?

Also, are there any plans on setting up "asteroid detection stations" at the moon or other planets to increase time between warning and actual impact (assuming such an event would actually happen within the next few hundred years or so).

Another thing I'm thinking of is that the creation of a lunar base could (in the future) also help in improving the capability of deflecting asteroids which could potentially impact earth or other nearby planets in the solar system, as the launch of missiles or crafts that can alter the asteroid trajectory will be easier (and they may get much more kinetic energy, due to absence air resistance at launch). --Genetics4good (talk) 17:00, 4 June 2021 (UTC)


 * Any asteroid large enough to notably change a planet's orbit would already be discovered. Asteroid impacts on other planets are basically academic and not a concern so NASA does not really have a public list. There is almost a zero chance of Earth being hit by any asteroid larger than 1 km in the next 100 years. Setting up a satellite closer to the Sun would help detect asteroid's interior to Earth's orbit such as the Atira asteroids. -- Kheider (talk) 23:57, 4 June 2021 (UTC)
 * a 1-km asteroid is huge, so that's not saying very much. A 500-m asteroid hit would be catastrophic. Certainly, the idea of another planet being hit by an asteroid big enough to perturb it sufficiently to affect the earth's orbit is pretty absurd. There are far more important things for Genetics4good to worry about.

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