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THE SKY IS FALLING

Lawmakers Call for Hearings on Space After Meteor Jolts Earth

Friday's cosmic events sparked renewed interest in investing in space science

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by Lisa Fine

Staff Writer t

Image: AP

The shockwave that jolted central Russia when a meteor exploded in the sky recently leaving 1,000 people injured was felt by Congress.

The chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology has called for hearings on space science and exploration after Friday's meteor explosion along with reports of an asteroid making a close fly-by to earth, Politico reports.

"We should continue to invest in systems that identify threatening asteroids and develop contingencies, if needed, to change the course of an asteroid headed toward Earth," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the committee. "Today's events are a stark reminder of the need to invest in space science."

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., the committee's vice chairman, said the incident should serve as a wake up call that more funding is needed to handle "threats coming from space that could cause massive loss of life and property on the planet."

"You know for years people have been treating me like some sort of Chicken Little saying - 'the sky is falling! the sky is falling!'" Rohrabacher said. "But now it's like, 'this guy is right, the sky is falling!'"

Via Politico
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Should funding be increased for space science and exploration?

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Comments (view in Forum)

  • kirbstomp1
    !
    @zachsquatch - its not profitable immediately, but once something is created, and reproduced easily, is always profitable. Whatever that may be in space exploration, most likely mining for precious metals on other satellites of the sun.
  • stepped_in_it
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    @zachsquatch Remember that the next time you 1) talk on your cell 2) use GPS 3) use that computer your on.....just to name a few!
    War is not profitable, not for US. Foreign aid is not profitable, not for US. Tax exemptions for companies leaving America or who are already profitable are not profitable, not for US....
  • View all 19 replies >
  • kirbstomp1
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    NASA gets half a cent per dollar in tax revenue? As a marine you should know defense spending is the bottomless pit of taxpayer dollars.
  • marine1
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    @kirbstomp1 1970,end of my enlistment got stuck as supply sgt for 3 months. End of the quarter, had 32,000 left in budget to return to division, was told to spend it any way i could, i bought garbage cans for the battalion..... I Know what you mean
  • Fishbone345
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    @marine1 Ain't that the truth? Your budget for anything has to be spent by the end of the year, and they put the pressure on hard to achieve that too.
  • harold_lloyd
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    @marine1
    If you knew it was wrong, why did you do it? No, I don't mean disobey a lawful order, but if you had, for instance, asked for it in writing, as is your right, you might have affected the outcome favorably. At the very least, you could have dropped a copy to your Senators and Rep.
    If you had done that, or something similar, you would be my hero.
  • View all 11 replies >
  • u
    MaxPain
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    Hahahha.# weeks ago the Repugs wouldn't spent 20 cents on anything a now their willing to sponsor spending billion to save their Azz....Hahhahahaha
  • u
    MaxPain
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    @PoliticalSpice Dang it i hate to give Bush that Much credit,But i am willing to share all of the Credit with Golden Glow John Bonner,He is almost as bright at the meteor was.
  • View all 12 replies >
  • zachsquatch
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    I believe funding should be allocated for space and science research, but I don't think is really relevant to the topic at hand. Now, our government knows of no other way to fix issues than by taxing or banning, never really going after the root cause. We have to admit at some point that there are things that we have NO control over. If an asteroid flying in space at 15,000 mph wants to hit Earth there is nothing that Bruce Willis or Barack Obama can do to stop it. Nature runs it course however it wants, it changes it's climate how it pleases, it destroys whatever it wants and driving a Prius will not stop it. Hell, they didn't even know this object was barreling towards earth until it was too late.
  • Fishbone345
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    Not for nothing, but it wasn't Obama mentioned in the article, it was two Republicans. I know that you and others love bringing him up in every single article Politix posted, but this time it was the Good Ol Party that led the charge.
  • Fishbone345
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    @zachsquatch And I didn't say you did. So perhaps you should simmer down. I merely mentioned the fact that you and others bring his name up in almost every article on Politix and that is the truth.
    I didn't see you say anything about the Republican congressmen in this article? Why not?
  • Politic-n
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    Typical knee-jerk response of politicians, pandering to the clueless scared masses who want a shepherd to protect them. Reminds one of a Simpson's episode where Tang and Kodos took the appearance of Clinton and Dole in 96. Hilarious!
  • FollowTheMoney
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    Not now we're broke, or haven't you heard. And so what if we know a meteor is heading for earth, what're we gonna do? Attach a rocket to it and fly it off it's trajectory. I'm pretty sure Clint, James and Tommy are too old to go to space now.
  • u
    seedtick
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    Oh, hell no....you liberals have already blamed Bush. But a Russian politician has blamed Barack Husssein Obama...claimed he was testing a weapon.
  • u
    seedtick
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    @SignifiedNBlue Some Russian national politician went on a rant about this being a US weapons test...he claims that nothing from space ever hits the Earth. Just a bunch of BS. He sounds like a couple of the wingnut politicians we have. Everything is a conspiracy.
  • Dan_Tien
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    I have yet to hear a plausible method of deflecting or destroying an asteroid that is headed for earth impact even if it could be detected well in advance. We can't even reliably intercept missiles that are launched from earth. I don't believe that throwing billions into space will serve anyone but the receivers of the money.
  • jessejaymes
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    I have this vision of some rich fat cats in a rocket ship sitting back watching the earth destruct as a giant meteor blows it apart and one fat cat says to the other "there goes society" and the other says "yeah but we did get to mine the asteroid first".
  • u
    BelinKS
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    That's where research comes into play. If we want the ability to protect ourselves from potential catastophic events coming from space, then we need the scientist and engineers to come up with something. That starts with research.
  • Dan_Tien
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    @BelinKS "That starts with research." No, it starts with "Search", not "REsearch". It starts with an idea, which costs nothing. Then a proposal to study the idea and experiment with it. Then if the proposal sounds promising, you fund it for development. If you start the process by supplying funds to generate ideas, the funds WILL be spent, whether anything of value results or not.

    By the way, many plausible ideas have already been introduced and restricted by international treaties. Anything that might be useful in protecting earth from threats from space (orbital nuclear platforms, space based lasers, etc.) can also be used against earth based targets. People fret about sub-orbital surveillance drones, you think that they will be thrilled about an orbital mass driver that can target and destroy or deflect incoming asteroids poised above our heads?
  • View all 8 replies >
  • u
    Slowmo
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    @PoliticalSpice haha it was a big ball of proof of welfare income letters that Clinton sent to Freddie Mae and Freddie Mac. Wow our housing market crash truly could be felt globally.
  • u
    BelinKS
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    @PoliticalSpice
    Now that's funny! I do think we need more eyes on the sky. We can only monitor tiny fractions at a time. An asteroid with a trajectory straight for earth could very well be missed until its to late and does damage and kills people. Did anyone know that comet was coming that exploded over Russia? They don't actually have to impact to do damage and wound or kill people, as shown in Russia.
  • u
    Slowmo
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    @BelinKS no from what I read, they didn't see that one coming. And I agree with you that it'd be a good idea to step up the level of observation. You're right, it doesn't have to actually hit the ground. The Tunguska meteor exploded about 4 miles above the ground and flattened 800 square miles of forest....and I mean leveled. Imagine if that happened over a population!
  • View all 18 replies >
  • Fishbone345
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    Watching the reaction of the Russians that filmed the various video feeds found around the Net, makes me glad we never went to war with them. Almost all of them just continue what they were doing as if nothing was even happening. There is no panic, no screams, hell in one video a group of Russians start laughing at the windows being blown out.
    They are either tough... or very possibly all drunk. ;)
  • u
    norezen
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    I know right? If I saw that thing I would be making immediate U turn. Instead, in the one video, the guys stops for a red light and then just keeps going.
  • PNWest
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    It is not a popular position to take but the bottom line is we have too much debt and to many real problems to be spending money on space exploration. Yes it is a fraction of a percent of the federal budget but $17 billion is a lot of money that could be put to better use training teachers or rebuilding infrastructure.
  • u
    BelinKS
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    We just need to stop giving money to other countries! We need more eyes on the sky. We can only monitor a tiny fraction at a time. An asteroid or comet could streak right through and we wouldn't know about it until it's to late to keep people safe. Also, I believe with today's technology, scientist and engineers (who have probably been ignored by our govt. for a long time)could come up with something to deflect or destroy the threats we do see. None of this is done in deep space exploration.
  • PNWest
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    @BelinKS A lot of foreign aid is given in exchange for us being able to keep military personnel in the countries being given the aid. This should stop. We do not need to have troops stationed in 130+ countries. Cut way back on foreign aid and bring the troops home to defend America instead of being the world's policeman. Likewise our money spent on space should be spent on things that produce tangible results like identifying space objects that might be on a collision course with earth and figuring out ways to stop them from hitting the planet.
  • mudpike
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    Global warming crap ain't working out for them , so now it's on to draining the taxpayers for another 'science fiction' project . If we are lucky , before BO & his billionaire 'puppetmasters ' have their way ' globally'- we'll be hit by the big one . IMHO , I would much rather gather my family & children together for the END than to see them entrapped into a lifelong servitude under elitist, socialist oppression. No joke!
  • mudpike
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    @DARSB - You are correct there , most politicos at that level of Gov't. march in lockstep . Not only BO but all presidents (IMHO), are owned & controlled & little more than figureheads to do their bidding. Like hogs all feeding at the same trough .
  • bsking
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    Umm wasn't it Obama who cut Nasa ? or did George Bush make him do it.?

    Lawmakers should have hearings on how Obama got reelected.
  • Fishbone345
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    It depresses me that NASA funding is on the chopping block. Space exploration is the future of our species, whether anyone wants to admit it or not. Things like exploring Mars with a rover is something that I can attach myself to, unlike our bloated budget on Welfare and Defense spending. On the first? If people really did use it as a crutch and continue on making themselves better? Welfare would be something I could support. Defense spending going to companies like Haliburton and Boeing isn't something I really support either. People on here will claim that I don't support our troops? That money isn't going to our troops and there is my problem with it. You think its patriotic to get behind cutting huge checks for defense contractors? Then you are an idiot.

    Hopefully the private sector will continue to make space exploration a reality. Props to them! We're behind you.
  • stepped_in_it
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    Agreed. people have forgotten that the "off shoots" of space explorations are cell phones, computers, gps.....etc. They most likely think that they just magically appeared and work.....
  • harold_lloyd
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    One of the reasons that NASAs budget is under threat is because they collect a lot of the data that leads to the conclusion of climate change. The satellites that collect that data are old, and soon will fail. If they are not replaced, then climate deniers will be able to say that no data is available to disprove their views.

    (Is that too paranoid?)
  • Russell797
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    @harold_lloyd You are right on the money with that one. The anti-science crowd will stop at nothing to derail their enemy.
  • View all 9 replies >
  • mudpike
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    Forgot to say , BO thinks the world revolves around him (george soros told him), so why doesn't he just ban meteors & meteorites ? In all of our 57 states .(Grin)
  • u
    Slowmo
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    I voted "yes" for funding but only with the conditions of the funding being specifically limited to find a way to deflect/redirect.
  • u
    CommonSense
    !
    Absolutely, we are currently defenseless if a meteor large enough to wipe us out or cause widespread destruction were to be on a path with Earth. We need to put our brightest minds together and figure out how to avert that catastrophe. We may never have to use this knowledge, or we may have to use it in the next few decades. We don't know. We should be on the safe side.
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