Doomsday Asteroid: Can We Survive?Sixty-five million years ago, a gigantic asteroid collided with Earth. The resulting dust clouds and fire storm blotted out the sunlight, destroying much of the animal, plant, and fish life - most notably, the dinosaurs. What would happen if another giant asteroid found itself on a collision course with Earth? Doomsday Asteroid: Can We Survive? is the most comprehensive current book for general readers to address the threats and potential benefits of asteroids. Space experts Donald W. Cox and James H. Chestek explain the major differences between comets and asteroids and describe what might happen should the Earth suffer a collision with either one of them. Cox and Chestek present a view quite different from that of astronomers: In particular, they cover the Earth defense problem in more detail than any of the other popular works on asteroids and they are critical of the science/astronomical community and its approach to asteroid danger. They also call for establishment of an International Spaceguard Command to oversee planetary safety. |
Contents
The New Frontier | 11 |
Dr Robert Zubrin | 15 |
Spaceguard Arthur C Clarke | 17 |
Copyright | |
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Apollo Apollo Asteroid approach aster asteroid belt Asteroid orbit astronauts astronomers atmosphere body bomb capture catapult chondrites close colonies cosmic cost COTES crater crew deflection Delta-V detected diameter dinosaurs discovered discovery Earth-crossing asteroids electric energy engineers Eros exploration extinct comets flight fly-by future gravity human interplanetary Islands in Space Jupiter kilometers landing laser launch launcher low Earth orbit lunar main belt Mars mass materials meteorites meters miles million minor planets mission months before impact moon Morrison committee move NASA Near-Earth Near-Earth Asteroid Near-Earth Objects noted nuclear object Oort cloud payload percent perihelion period planetary planetoid possible pounds probe problem proposed radar radiation rail gun rock rocket propellants satellites scientists ship solar system space shuttle spacecraft Spaceguard spaceship SSTO stars surface telescope theory threat Toutatis trip vehicle velocity