Being a science communicator, people often to look to me for explanations of various science subjects. Often, but not quite as often as I just tell it to them without asking. Regardless, with great power comes great responsibility, and being one to shirk responsibilities, sometimes I’m not entirely truthful in my responses.
@tyhalley @amytfalcone It magically changes from a shooting star to a dead space rock because you masturbate at night. #truescience
— Maki Naro (@sciencecomic) February 15, 2013
It’s been a week since a meteor passing over Chelyabinsk, Russia caused a shockwave that blew in windows and injured over a thousand people**. As the adage goes, “Asteroids are nature’s way of asking, ‘How’s that space program coming along?’,” and the tiny denizens of the planet Earth are scrambling to respond.
A team at the University of Hawaii has been working on an Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), which would set up eight telescopes to monitor space for incoming objects. Scientists say that the system would give us a week’s warning. Plenty of time to hire a motley crew of uranium miners to pilot a secret prototype spacecraft and tow the Earth out of harms way.
Drat, did it again.
Alright, alright. Here’s Phil Plait at TEDxBoulder(ha ha) talking about how we can save the Earth from asteroids.
*Not Actually True Science
**The majority of the injuries were from people standing in front of the windows watching the meteor.
Oh, and to fit the theme of today’s post, here’s a fake—but hilarious—video of a Russian driver who just couldn’t give any fucks.