SpaceMost posted:

I remember reading an article a few weeks ago about how NASA knew Columbia was in trouble but decided to keep mum so that the astronauts wouldn't know what was coming. Makes me wonder if the government would warn anyone if they discovered a giant fuckoff asteroid was on the way too late to do anything about it.

KoRMaK posted:

I thought that they had (purposefully) unconfirmed reports. They went with a "blinders on" kind of approach. The way you mention means that someone should be brought up on murder and conspiracy charges, but what do I know?

evilbastard posted:

A few things.

Metrosat 9 had some nice pictures of the trail, which one blogger thinks makes it around 320km long. This says that it came in at a very low angle, which was drat lucky for Russia.

Nature has an article with an initial estimate of 15 metres diameter, 40 tons in weight. The worldwide infrasound detecting network has it pegged at a few hundred kilotons, with an explosion 30 to 50 kilometres up. (North Korea's recent test was 6 kilotons, Little Boy was 16 kilotons, Fatman was 21 Kilotons). This seems pretty large for a first estimate, I haven't found any others yet.

Edit: Yeah, that makes no sense. a Cubic metre of nickel/iron weighs maybe 8-10 tons, so I think their size estimate is way off, or someone has added a digit somewhere in the article. Maybe 2.5 metres in diameter makes a lot more sense.

SpaceMost posted:

It's kind of convoluted. I think NASA was initially concerned about something that turned out to be a non-problem. However, that non-problem would have been catastrophic if it was real. While NASA was still trying to diagnose it, the higher-ups argued for keeping their mouths shut so that the astronauts could go peacefully if the problem was legit.

However, what did end up causing the disaster was a separate problem that they were aware of, but they weren't sure if it would be catastrophic, so they kept their fingers crossed. If that makes sense.

evilbastard posted:

SaucyLoggins posted:

If a handful of people knew with dead certainty that a world/civilization ending catastrophic event was going to occur, what purpose would they have in keeping their mouths shut? Seriously, why? You don't think one person would feel the desire to leak that info, or that there's really only one organization on Earth with the knowledge and technology to figure out if we're all going to get crushed by that asteroid.

SaucyLoggins posted:

If a handful of people knew with dead certainty that a world/civilization ending catastrophic event was going to occur, what purpose would they have in keeping their mouths shut? Seriously, why? You don't think one person would feel the desire to leak that info, or that there's really only one organization on Earth with the knowledge and technology to figure out if we're all going to get crushed by that asteroid?

Captain Backslap posted:

I can't find the source for this. Link?

Mallory posted:

People dont just die like in a game....they have to kill themselves.

Mallory posted:

People dont just die like in a game....they have to kill themselves.

To speak up would not just condem them but all their group.

And they would all also die

I guess "die" just doesnt mean much in a world of stupid/re-gen and extra levels

maybe be fat-tard who hates life cant relate...but drat...

RCarr posted:

I'm having trouble understand exactly what this means. Or was supposed to mean.

WASDF posted:

What.

Mallory posted:

People dont just die like in a game....they have to kill themselves.

To speak up would not just condem them but all their group.

And they would all also die

I guess "die" just doesnt mean much in a world of stupid/re-gen and extra levels

maybe be fat-tard who hates life cant relate...but drat...

Mallory posted:

People dont just die like in a game....they have to kill themselves.

To speak up would not just condem them but all their group.

And they would all also die

I guess "die" just doesnt mean much in a world of stupid/re-gen and extra levels

Mallory posted:

People dont just die like in a game....they have to kill themselves.

To speak up would not just condem them but all their group.

And they would all also die

I guess "die" just doesnt mean much in a world of stupid/re-gen and extra levels

maybe be fat-tard who hates life cant relate...but drat...

Mallory posted:

People dont just poo poo like in a poo poo....they have to poo poo themselves.

To speak poo poo would not just poo poo them but all poo poo group.

And they poo poo all also die

poo poo guess "die" just poo poo mean much in poo poo world of stupid/poo poo and extra levels

maybe poo poo fat-tard who hates poo poo cant relate...but poo poo...gently caress You!

KoRMaK posted:

Mallory's posts have gotten more disjointed and worse in their formatting as the day goes on. Mallory are you staying home from work and getting hosed up or something?

Mallory posted:

its p.simple...enjoy your time wasting...

NEXT....i know im bored....

(threads about?.....)

Mallory posted:

Lucky I didnt say I was a cop

Troll Bridgington posted:

How long has your race studied us before sending you as their ambassador? When is the Ever Victorious Fleet going to exit out of hyperspace and lay waste to our defenses?

Captain Backslap posted:

Someone needs to take a snooze in the drunk tank for a few hours.

Have any fragments actually been confirmed yet or is it speculation based on a hole in lake ice and a zinc factory with bad masonry?

Captain Backslap posted:

Have any fragments actually been confirmed yet or is it speculation based on a hole in lake ice and a zinc factory with bad masonry?

Peppi posted:

Fun fact, my girlfriend and my mom got hit by a meteorite when driving a car a few years ago. Windshield got a nice hole in it but they were luckily not hurt. I'll post pictures if I can find them when I go back home in a week.

edit:

I was watching the NASA stream on 2012 DA14 and the dude said they believe the russian metorite was about 15m in diameter.

Wikipedia posted:

After it smashed through the trunk of her Chevy Malibu, 18-year old Michelle Knapp retrieved the meteorite, after which it was sold to a consortium of three dealers for more than $69,000.[10] Today, small specimens of Peekskill sell for approximately $125 per gram. The car, as well as the main mass of the meteorite (which weighs 890 grams), are currently in the Macovich Collection of Meteorites.[11] Additional specimens of the meteorite can be found in Chicago's Field Museum, the American National History Museum, and the Smithsonian.

Alex DeLarge posted:

Ooops! Cat is out of the bag Mallory!

nullandvoid posted:

Either the drunk tank or the TPC has some INCREDIBLY unfulfilling forum invaders.

Also wouldn't any fragments from that comet be near indistinguishable from any rubble or rocks here?

e: I suddenly have a plan to make millions selling comet chunks.

nullandvoid posted:

e: I suddenly have a plan to make millions selling comet chunks.

Captain Backslap posted:

Have any fragments actually been confirmed yet or is it speculation based on a hole in lake ice and a zinc factory with bad masonry?

nullandvoid posted:

Also wouldn't any fragments from that comet be near indistinguishable from any rubble or rocks here?

e: I suddenly have a plan to make millions selling comet chunks.