Tracking Near-Earth Objects, DART, tabletop defense games, and Starship Trooper conspiracies. The Rabbit Hole of Research crew heads to the Basement Studio to ask what happens when you look up.
Looks like a great interview, I'll save the link and listen in-full when time allows!
I personally would want to know if an asteroid is coming but have no doubt that governments would keep it a secret. Enough people lost their minds over COVID and if world governments had been honest and said that we would just have to collectively let the pandemic run its course until the virus became less virulent, things would have been infinitely worse.
As for planetary defense, this is a situation that requires decisive action, not debate. A rich, technologically-advanced nation (like the USA) needs to just take charge and create some technology that can deflect an asteroid and act unilaterally if the situation arises. The world won't complain after it's been saved from disaster.
Thanks for commenting and I hope you enjoy the episode.
Like you before the conversation I thought information would be withheld and/or countries would try to negotiate a solution. But Charles really explained how he thought things would go and it put my mind at ease that if an asteroid would be detected the world would come together and find a solution.
Hey Joe, Georgia, Nick, Mary, and Charles! Cool that Charles worked for NASA! First time I heard a disclaimer on the show too.
Excellent intro, Joe! Very helpful!
Makes sense they are looking for potentially hazardous Near Earth Objects. True that comets fit this. My dino-dragon character Peculiarexus hates asteroids and wants to have a career in finding Near Earth Objects lol (though he also wants to destroy asteroids lol)
Good to know to avoid windows when there is a huge flash of light as it might be an asteroid and the impact could shatter windows.
Yikes 100 yards is huge
Makes sense that people worldwide track NEOs.
Excellent point, Joe! I know some who got very worried (understandably so) when there was news about that asteroid (and the chances of it hitting Earth was downgraded later). I think they got pretty worried because of the movie "Don't Look Up". There were worries that the govt was dowmplaying it.
Cool that they do table top exercises to help plan for such scenarios.
Makes sense that trying to see an asteroid on the sun side is tough.
I think another concern with asteroids hitting the ocean would be the impacts on ecosystems there. I wonder how it would affect animals and plants there and impacts on humans as a result.
Peculiarexus wants to be a part of the table top exercises...though he would just call for rockets to be fired at asteroids haha.
I remembered when they hit an asteroid with a spaceship and bumped it in a different direction. That was cool! Peculiarexus was disappointed though lol. He thought they 'whacked' it and then was disappointed when he learned it was just bumped lol
Oh wow, I did not know nukes were viable against asteroids. I thought it was handwavium. Haha
Makes sense to discover what it is made of as the initial step.
I forgot that the treaty does not allow nukes to be used in space w/o agreement.
I need to see "Don't Look Up". I think Peculiarexus would like it. He likes Armageddon haha He thought it was a documentary LOL.
Ooh good question, Nick, about what if there was life on an meteor.
Before I continue, I thought of how Peculiarexus tried to invent a gravity gun to send asteroids to the underworld. 😅
Intriguing! It is neat if the original body created life there lol
I had heard of asteroids and meteors brought organic material to Earth. It is probable IMO.
Peculiarexus takes your comment about if dinos weren't wiped out, mammals would not be dominant personally 😂😜.
Great points about the chemicals that resulted. Velicoraptors in Chicago (if there was no asteroid impact that killed dinos). That needs to be a new sci-fi story lol
Very helpful info about the Oort Cloud 😀
Mary, agreed- it is amazing how the solar system has this barrier. I am amazed at the workings of so many things in space 😀
Good points about solar flares as well as magnetic field protection (we are so lucky on Earth).
LOL Superman
Peculiarexus says he is Super Dino. He is not though LOL.
Lol humans will do everything to get gold etc. The moon is made of cheese indeed. Kidding lol
The Vera Rubin telescope is awesome! 😀
Lol it is so cool that Charles got a butt dial from Vera Rubin! I would've been geeking out haha.
I need to read Starship Troopers.
I have not read it or seen the movie lol. I got back into reading late, so I am always far behind. But I hope to read it sometime in the next few months.
I should probably read more Greek Mythology but I often get overwhelmed by the vast amount of characters (I struggle with epic fantasy stories too).
Makes sense that there was some paranoia about comets, given how little they knew about comets.
Nice examples, Joe!
I need to read "The Comet" by W.E.B. Du Bois.
Time to repeat the 1916 film (Danish movie) title 😜
I need to see Armageddon as well as Deep Impact.
Lol Moonfall... sounds silly. I agree, it is not survivable.
I learned about SETI from Independence Day haha. That was neat. I have been interested in SETI since that time.
Darn, wish that made it into the movie. Hehe
I LOVE the Asteroids video game! Peculiarexus loves it and can spend hours playing that lol
Planetary Annihilation reminds me of Encarta. They had a helpful space game in it and I don't remember many details but I think I kept slamming the moon into a planet in that game haha
It is neat how Charles got to write a piece for the magazine Earth Science and got a job in the National Radio Astronomy Observatory 🙂😀!
I am geeking out about how much he got to learn daily! That is such A COOL job!!
You are right. Curiosity is missing. People double down and keep on believing conspiracy theories and misinformation generally. I make fun of that in my stories but it is definitely a big and real problem.
😀😀 I don't have a science degree either, but I am intrigued by, and love science.
Peculiarexus does too. His human sister (also a kid) Melissa, loves science also and always tries to get her hands on her aunties' college textbooks in chemistry, physics, and engineering (even though she doesn't understand them lol but she is fascinated).
Yeah it is sad how curiosity is beaten out of them. It was initially for me. I found science really challenging when I was younger and did not find science fair fun (it was a requirement and not an optional task in my school) and physics was tough for me. But what started getting me back into it was learning about energy policy, zero-emission vehicles, and environmental policy in grad school. Then what gave me a huge surge in interest in science were Christopher Nolan's films (Inception and Interstellar), his brother Jonathan's CBS show (Person of Interest), and PBS specials (Genius by Stephen Hawking and The Brain with David Eagleman). I have been very intrigued since. I have been reading up and watching a lot on astrophysics and astronomy (and a bit on psychology also) since 😀. Many of my characters are engineers and or scientists.
Yes! I'd love a science fandom con for engineering and science.
Yeah, the complexity of science can be a barrier (I have seen this myself and science journals are hard to understand) but podcasts like yours and NPR's Short Wave) help a lot! I love RHR and it is one of my faves and it has increased my curiosity!
I like Dr. Becky Smethurst - she is an astrophysist and her YouTube channel and the podcast she co-hosts (Supermassive Podcast by the Royal Astronomical Society) are wonderful!
Yeah the jargon can be hard to understand. I am most fascinated by black holes & expansion of universe. Star light too. The multiverse (possibility of) intrigues me too.
Great points about Hawaii's history and astronomical observatories.
Yes! Public funding for science is an invaluable investment.
Excellent episode! It really resonated with me. Also sorry for having so many tangents. I just found it really thought provoking.
If you knew an asteroid was on a collision course with Earth, would you want the government to tell you? Or would you rather not know?
Yes, so that I can evacuate. Or if it is impossible to escape, I would like to know so that I can knock out as much of my bucket list as possible.
DART proved we can move an asteroid, but who should have the authority to make that call? One country, the UN, everyone?
Ideally, the UN, but that is not always feasible. But honestly, it should be ths UN. If the UN can't agree, then it would be up to the nations in the region it is projected to hit to move or destroy it. A NATO mission could do it if needed.
And if regional orgs can't agree, then individual nations should.
What’s your favorite fictional take on an asteroid or comet impact, and don’t worry about the science, they all use a healthy dose of Handwavium?
I have not seen enough to know. But maybe Star Wars and how asteroids can hit ships during chases lol
The Starship Troopers conspiracy, did the government let Buenos Aires happen? We want to know where you stand.
Never saw it or read the book, so I do not know lol.
Looks like a great interview, I'll save the link and listen in-full when time allows!
I personally would want to know if an asteroid is coming but have no doubt that governments would keep it a secret. Enough people lost their minds over COVID and if world governments had been honest and said that we would just have to collectively let the pandemic run its course until the virus became less virulent, things would have been infinitely worse.
As for planetary defense, this is a situation that requires decisive action, not debate. A rich, technologically-advanced nation (like the USA) needs to just take charge and create some technology that can deflect an asteroid and act unilaterally if the situation arises. The world won't complain after it's been saved from disaster.
Thanks for commenting and I hope you enjoy the episode.
Like you before the conversation I thought information would be withheld and/or countries would try to negotiate a solution. But Charles really explained how he thought things would go and it put my mind at ease that if an asteroid would be detected the world would come together and find a solution.
But give a listen and let me know what you think.
Cheers
Hey Joe, Georgia, Nick, Mary, and Charles! Cool that Charles worked for NASA! First time I heard a disclaimer on the show too.
Excellent intro, Joe! Very helpful!
Makes sense they are looking for potentially hazardous Near Earth Objects. True that comets fit this. My dino-dragon character Peculiarexus hates asteroids and wants to have a career in finding Near Earth Objects lol (though he also wants to destroy asteroids lol)
Good to know to avoid windows when there is a huge flash of light as it might be an asteroid and the impact could shatter windows.
Yikes 100 yards is huge
Makes sense that people worldwide track NEOs.
Excellent point, Joe! I know some who got very worried (understandably so) when there was news about that asteroid (and the chances of it hitting Earth was downgraded later). I think they got pretty worried because of the movie "Don't Look Up". There were worries that the govt was dowmplaying it.
Cool that they do table top exercises to help plan for such scenarios.
Makes sense that trying to see an asteroid on the sun side is tough.
I think another concern with asteroids hitting the ocean would be the impacts on ecosystems there. I wonder how it would affect animals and plants there and impacts on humans as a result.
Peculiarexus wants to be a part of the table top exercises...though he would just call for rockets to be fired at asteroids haha.
I remembered when they hit an asteroid with a spaceship and bumped it in a different direction. That was cool! Peculiarexus was disappointed though lol. He thought they 'whacked' it and then was disappointed when he learned it was just bumped lol
Oh wow, I did not know nukes were viable against asteroids. I thought it was handwavium. Haha
Makes sense to discover what it is made of as the initial step.
I forgot that the treaty does not allow nukes to be used in space w/o agreement.
I need to see "Don't Look Up". I think Peculiarexus would like it. He likes Armageddon haha He thought it was a documentary LOL.
Ooh good question, Nick, about what if there was life on an meteor.
Before I continue, I thought of how Peculiarexus tried to invent a gravity gun to send asteroids to the underworld. 😅
Intriguing! It is neat if the original body created life there lol
I had heard of asteroids and meteors brought organic material to Earth. It is probable IMO.
Peculiarexus takes your comment about if dinos weren't wiped out, mammals would not be dominant personally 😂😜.
Great points about the chemicals that resulted. Velicoraptors in Chicago (if there was no asteroid impact that killed dinos). That needs to be a new sci-fi story lol
Very helpful info about the Oort Cloud 😀
Mary, agreed- it is amazing how the solar system has this barrier. I am amazed at the workings of so many things in space 😀
Good points about solar flares as well as magnetic field protection (we are so lucky on Earth).
LOL Superman
Peculiarexus says he is Super Dino. He is not though LOL.
Lol humans will do everything to get gold etc. The moon is made of cheese indeed. Kidding lol
The Vera Rubin telescope is awesome! 😀
Lol it is so cool that Charles got a butt dial from Vera Rubin! I would've been geeking out haha.
I need to read Starship Troopers.
I have not read it or seen the movie lol. I got back into reading late, so I am always far behind. But I hope to read it sometime in the next few months.
I should probably read more Greek Mythology but I often get overwhelmed by the vast amount of characters (I struggle with epic fantasy stories too).
Makes sense that there was some paranoia about comets, given how little they knew about comets.
Nice examples, Joe!
I need to read "The Comet" by W.E.B. Du Bois.
Time to repeat the 1916 film (Danish movie) title 😜
I need to see Armageddon as well as Deep Impact.
Lol Moonfall... sounds silly. I agree, it is not survivable.
I learned about SETI from Independence Day haha. That was neat. I have been interested in SETI since that time.
Darn, wish that made it into the movie. Hehe
I LOVE the Asteroids video game! Peculiarexus loves it and can spend hours playing that lol
Planetary Annihilation reminds me of Encarta. They had a helpful space game in it and I don't remember many details but I think I kept slamming the moon into a planet in that game haha
It is neat how Charles got to write a piece for the magazine Earth Science and got a job in the National Radio Astronomy Observatory 🙂😀!
I am geeking out about how much he got to learn daily! That is such A COOL job!!
You are right. Curiosity is missing. People double down and keep on believing conspiracy theories and misinformation generally. I make fun of that in my stories but it is definitely a big and real problem.
😀😀 I don't have a science degree either, but I am intrigued by, and love science.
Peculiarexus does too. His human sister (also a kid) Melissa, loves science also and always tries to get her hands on her aunties' college textbooks in chemistry, physics, and engineering (even though she doesn't understand them lol but she is fascinated).
Yeah it is sad how curiosity is beaten out of them. It was initially for me. I found science really challenging when I was younger and did not find science fair fun (it was a requirement and not an optional task in my school) and physics was tough for me. But what started getting me back into it was learning about energy policy, zero-emission vehicles, and environmental policy in grad school. Then what gave me a huge surge in interest in science were Christopher Nolan's films (Inception and Interstellar), his brother Jonathan's CBS show (Person of Interest), and PBS specials (Genius by Stephen Hawking and The Brain with David Eagleman). I have been very intrigued since. I have been reading up and watching a lot on astrophysics and astronomy (and a bit on psychology also) since 😀. Many of my characters are engineers and or scientists.
Yes! I'd love a science fandom con for engineering and science.
Yeah, the complexity of science can be a barrier (I have seen this myself and science journals are hard to understand) but podcasts like yours and NPR's Short Wave) help a lot! I love RHR and it is one of my faves and it has increased my curiosity!
I like Dr. Becky Smethurst - she is an astrophysist and her YouTube channel and the podcast she co-hosts (Supermassive Podcast by the Royal Astronomical Society) are wonderful!
Yeah the jargon can be hard to understand. I am most fascinated by black holes & expansion of universe. Star light too. The multiverse (possibility of) intrigues me too.
Great points about Hawaii's history and astronomical observatories.
Yes! Public funding for science is an invaluable investment.
Excellent episode! It really resonated with me. Also sorry for having so many tangents. I just found it really thought provoking.
Take care.
@Charles Blue
Thanks Alex for the listen and comments.
Anytime, Joe :) The podcast is very engaging and I love it :) You have cool guests!!
If you knew an asteroid was on a collision course with Earth, would you want the government to tell you? Or would you rather not know?
Yes, so that I can evacuate. Or if it is impossible to escape, I would like to know so that I can knock out as much of my bucket list as possible.
DART proved we can move an asteroid, but who should have the authority to make that call? One country, the UN, everyone?
Ideally, the UN, but that is not always feasible. But honestly, it should be ths UN. If the UN can't agree, then it would be up to the nations in the region it is projected to hit to move or destroy it. A NATO mission could do it if needed.
And if regional orgs can't agree, then individual nations should.
What’s your favorite fictional take on an asteroid or comet impact, and don’t worry about the science, they all use a healthy dose of Handwavium?
I have not seen enough to know. But maybe Star Wars and how asteroids can hit ships during chases lol
The Starship Troopers conspiracy, did the government let Buenos Aires happen? We want to know where you stand.
Never saw it or read the book, so I do not know lol.