Defending the Earth from Asteroids... what to do?

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Shut Up Legs

Down Under Member
Given how much damage we're doing to Earth, with our obstinate addiction to fossil fuels, and rampant overpopulation, an asteroid hit would be good, in the long run. Let it come.
 

Hyslop

Veteran
Location
Carlisle
Id give Bleep and Booster a call as soon as possible.
 

KneesUp

Guru
As I understand it the 'nuke em' plan has several flaws:

1) we don't have any missiles that are designed for space work
2) we don't see the asteroids coming in time, unless we are very lucky
3) even if we happened to see one coming in time, and managed to hit it with a missile, we would then be hit by lots of smaller (but still large) rocks that we had made radioactive.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
NASA's Asteroid Defense Plan
So a nuclear bomb would be essentially useless at disintegrating an asteroid several miles wide, but scientists at NASA think that a nuclear weapon could be used in a different way to defend the planet.

In 2005, U.S. Congress asked NASA to develop plans for preventing an asteroid-Earth collision. In 2007, the space agency presented its ideas at the Planetary Defense Conference in Washington, D.C. (which sounds like something out of a sci-fi flick). In itsreport, NASA outlined several options, a few of which involved using nuclear explosives to deflect the asteroid away from Earth. The force from the explosions would (hopefully) provide enough momentum to nudge the asteroid in a different direction, preventing disaster.

In the explosions category, NASA discovered that nuclear explosives are way more effective for asteroid deflection than non-nuclear explosives, due to the sheer amount of energy they produce. NASA tested four nuclear scenarios: a surface explosion, a delayed surface explosion, a subsurface explosion and a standoff explosion (where the bomb doesn't come into contact with the asteroid). The surface and subsurface explosions are the most effective, but there's a good chance of splitting the asteroid. In the end, the space agency determined that a series of standoff nuclear explosions would be the most effective way to deflect an asteroid headed for Earth.

The best option in the non-nuclear category is a kinetic impact (a nice way of saying they would ram objects into the asteroid), but doing so would require detailed knowledge of what the surface of the asteroid is like. Some other non-nuclear options that NASA considered include using a laser or a giant mirror to focus energy on a spot on the asteroid and "boil off" parts of it, or using a spacecraft to tug the asteroid in a different direction.



http://science.howstuffworks.com/asteroid-nuclear-bomb1.htm
 

classic33

Leg End Member
FAB idea !!!
And the origional ones
 

classic33

Leg End Member
That's me done then . No way i'm i getting into that position....
Search for that gives this
BP.jpg
 

craigwend

Grimpeur des terrains plats
http://uk.ign.com/cheats/games/asteroids-ps-10365

Armegeddon
To get armegeddon without getting the power up simply hold the fire button for 5 seconds then release. This can be done in 2 player mode too.

Submitted by:blush:GN_Cheats
Play Classic Asteroids...the hard way
To get the original game you must go all the way through the first mission until you get to level 15.¿ Once you get to level 15, continue to play but look for a greenish wire-frame asteroid to come into the screen.

Shoot the green asteroid and big words in green will appear on the screen letting you know the game is unlocked, but don't stop just yet.¿ Finish level 15 and save your game so you can save the original version for fun.¿

Submitted by:blush:GN_Cheats
Play Classic Asteroids...the easy way
At the Title screen, hold Select and press: Circle, Circle, Circle, Triangle, Square, Square, Circle.

Submitted by:blush:GN_Cheats
Hidden Forth Ship...the easy way
At the title screen press and hold SELECT, then press Triangle, Circle, Circle, Triangle, Square, Circle, Square.

Submitted by:blush:GN_Cheats
Hidden Forth Ship...the hard way
Beat the game at expert or hardcore

Submitted by:blush:GN_Cheats
Classic Asteroids Codes
Press pause, then enter the following:

99 Lives: Up, X, Down, Triangle, Left, Square, Right, Circle

Invincibility: Down, Down, Up, Up, Circle, Square, Triangle, Triangle

Submitted by:blush:GN_Cheats
Invincibility and Level Select
At the title screen press Square, Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Triangle, Square, Circle. To activate level select, press Start + Select while playing, then press L1 repeatedly until the desired level appears.

Submitted by:blush:GN_Cheats
Cheat Menu
When the "Press Start" screen appears, hold Select and press Square, Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Triangle, Square, Circle. You should hear an asteroid exploding. If not, try again. Now, anytime during the game press Select and Start at the same time. A small screen should come up asking you what level and zone you want. You will also get the option of turning off collisions. To activate the cheat codes, press R1, R2, L1, and L2 at the same time.
 

TheDoctor

Noble and true, with a heart of steel
Moderator
Location
The TerrorVortex
Alas, missile interceptor missiles kind of made Star Wars redundant for targets launched from Earth as they didn't require any major breakthroughs on technology and are comparatively cheap.

ICBMs are essentially spacecraft. At apogee the bus and its payload are well beyond the Earths the atmosphere by hundreds of miles. There no reason in physics why the larger versions, SS 18 etc, couldn't launch a smaller payload (a single warhead instead of an array of MIRVs) beyond Earth orbit. However the politics, physical challenges of retasking a missile, and even the law all stand in the way of their use for kicking ass like Robert Duvall.
There's every reason why not. ICBMs go high enough to enter space, but not fast enough to achieve orbit, let alone escape velocity. The Russian R7 frinstance, was designed to launch a 3 tonne nuke at the US. It just about got the 80kg Sputnik 1 into a low Earth orbit. Why would any country develop a missile capable of nuking the Moon, or Mars, or targeting meteorites? It was always The Other Side that was the target.
 
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