[meteorite-list] Asteroid may be set to slam Mars in Jan.

[Sterling K. Webb]

Hi, Mark, Francis, List,

    Heck of a good question implied here ("what does
it take to stir the inert?"). I suggest a small impact crater
on the White House lawn! Or in the Washington Mall!
A nick in the Capitol Dome? Take one tacky corner off 
Parliament? A small Paris suburb? (It would never be 
missed.)

    Even better than an observation of a Mars impact 
from Earth would be an observation from Mars. Much 
better view. Of course, we don't have a "LiveCam" in
orbit, but the question would be: "could we jury-rig
something to snap the moment?" And don't forget one
Rover is "on the edge" of the impact circle; snapshot 
of the horizon at the right moment?

    We can cheer unabashedly for an impact on Mars,
as the Martians have zero political influence and get 
no sympathy from the planet they have fictionally
invaded so often. I'm rooting for the asteroid, so to 
speak.


Sterling K. Webb
----------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Crawford" <mark at meteorites.cc>
To: "Francis Graham" <francisgraham at rocketmail.com>
Cc: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 5:12 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Asteroid may be set to slam Mars in Jan.


It's interesting to speculate on the effect a second massive, observed 
planetary impact in 15 years (or 3 in 100, if you count Tunguska) would 
have on policy makers.  One might expect that it would redouble 
investment in the search for, and technologies for dealing with, PHAs.

One might hope that even the most rabid catastrophe-deniers among the 
political elite would be encouraged to act... but then, maybe I'm still 
on a Happy Hangover from an excessive Christmas Lunch ;-)

M

Francis Graham wrote:
>
>   If it DOES hit Mars, I wonder what observations
> visual amateur astronomers can make of it? I think if
> it kicks up a dust storm that should be easy to see.
>   

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