House of Representatives passes bill to protect us from asteroids

Awesome, this is an issue that has been overlooked for far too long. NASA's funding isn't even on the top ten out of 22 federal agencies that comprise the US budget. Seeing as we only watch about 4% of the sky, that is shame.

NEOs (near Earth objects) are popping up on radar all of the time. While we should invest in technology to be able to stop them, we need to identify as many as we can, and prepare accordingly.

The sky is big... and we're constantly moving at millions of mph through space. Hopefully we'll be coordinate enough to spot NEOs from any point of view the world over.

It takes "impending doom" to protect Earth?
We will protect the planet from foreign objects, but who will protect the universe from us?!!?

This IS scary, but if it is going to happen, we will not be able to stop it. And, on that "eve of destruction", when something is headed for Earth, we all might, maybe, possibly unite as a species. (maybe)


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WTF! I can't believe the congress actually took the time to do something uniformly good for the planet.

Getting this HR 6063 bill was a big fight against the GOP, just to get it to the floor to vote on. The HR 1257 bill was a bill to allow HR 6063 to come to the floor. ALL the Republicans voted against HR 1257, but the dems got it to the floor. Once the bill got to the floor then only 15 Republicans voted against the bill.

they better get bruce willis.

A transponder. that is the most pointless thing I have ever heard. It just obviously wouldn't work.

this is obviously more important than focusing on global warming. good job congress!!

Next on the agenda. The destruction of the earth in 2012?

This gives me some more faith in the government. It used to be we only took action against things that either had oil in them or somehow profited us. While this may seem silly, it's got to be one of the few defense actions actually made for the good of the people. It's good to be safe.

That’s awesome. Congress can protect us from asteroids but they can’t protect our constitutional rights.

see, our government can think of the future! Sure they slipped up on things like education, dependence on oil and the environment but that is only because they have been focusing on the big issue...Rocks from space!! No I don't want to get obliterated by an asteroid, but based on how we are handling our environment, I'm wondering if we'll even be around when one does hit us.

took the words right out of my mouth, Ricky84.

It's like that song by the Crest [Skeptik].

"That's what people are worried about and fighting against. Uh, Aliens...uh, the Devil, the UN Forces, the Federal Reserve. I mean, everything except what's real. Mainly private corporations, private tyranny, private corporate power, the guys who are listed in the fortune 500. Well, that's an achievement, that's a propaganda achievement. And while the anger and the fear is real, it's based on something and you have to sympathize with it because it is real....I'm Skeptical."

You can never be too careful I guess.

i didnt even have to read this story before i truly realized the importance of this article, this journalist seems edgy smart and is probably the sexiest man alive

putting a tracking device on an asteroid is more cost-effective than beefing up our ground-based tracking radars?????

i don't think there are any engineers or scientifically trained [or capable of critical thinking-] people in congress any more..... if there ever were...

A "Tracking Device"?

Nope we don't need no :) tracking device...

We already have them and they are called

Telescopes!

Seriously, this asteroid Apophis may be the one with our name on it but Hollywood has been coming up with movies for years and years....

And Congress is finally getting around to doing what...something?

Yes, we need to be watchful because there are many Earth Crossing

How long is it that we will have to wait for

GAS PRICES to come down?

Another 200 years?

Deep Impact was better and far more playful title than Armageddon.

Oh c'mon guys, you probably be still complaining even if they didnt pass the bill.

Not only is their track record bad but i cant imagine how many million dollar toilets and 2000 screws were going to use with their brilliant plan.

Twenty years ago, astronomers Morrison and Chapman in their science nonfiction book Cosmic Catastophies said that an asteroid impact on earth would be "as common as a fender bender" in traffic. Chapman also said that he would rather be at ground zero when it does, regardless of size. This was about the time that some state capitols in the country were excavating for "office space" 100 feet or more below their capitol buildings. George Bush senior has a library in his name at TXA&M that houses a subterranean village. Go figure...

is there any plan to actually stop the asteroid instead of just tracking it and thinking about it?

If the asteroid comes close during an administration like Bush's, they'll say: Let the market handle it.

Funny how government will pass this bill against the potential threat of asteroids, but won't pass anything useful against the imminent threat of global warming.

I think NASA is already looking at the problem. But, if this gets NASA more funding on the project, then..great!

i'd prefer we just funded the research that will lead us off this rock thank you very much. that is the only hope of human survival

Lets all go to Gula Gula Island and let the grown ups handle this nonsense. This Apophis event is 20 years away. Theres much more serious problems on Earth we should be dealing with.

It’s estimated that by 2029 there will be over 8 billion people on Earth, assuming some other disaster doesn’t decimate the population first. I’m sure by then the Earth will have made a population correction in some form or other if we keep running downhill on the current path we’re on. Dec 21, 2012 doesn’t seem too far-fetched when you do the math. I can truly appreciate astronomy, star-gazing & NASA’s missions-the one’s that work-but I actually thought this was a joke when it was first posted. Are people really that excited about how the chair polishing asses of Congress are spending their time with our money?

This appears to be another example of gov’t propaganda, to keep us looking in the wrong direction for the real problems. If it’s real, I seriously doubt we’ll be rescued with a Hollywood style ending. We’re talking about controlling matter hurtling through space since the formation of the universe when we can barely make accurate weather predictions beyond a day or two. I think Katrina, both the event & aftermath, is our current baseline. We failed miserably on both counts. Right now, I’m more curious how the flooding & the needs of the victims in the Midwest are being handled by the gov’t as a barometer to set realistic expectations for future natural disasters.

I wonder if this bill passed because of the likelihood of a black president. And we all know from disaster movies, that a black president = impending doom from space.

(please note sarcasm)