Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Extra-Process-9394 t1_is6opav wrote

No positive top level comments yet so I'll make one.

This is incredible. Our species, hell, our entire biosphere could have been wiped out at any moment due to a big speedy space rock. The moon has been a huge factor in protecting us but we are a lucky species.

Now we have the capability to protect ourselves, and hopefully not have to rely on Bruce Willis and his plucky drill crew, or a man in a yellow jumpsuit and his robot friend.

Like I said elsewhere: to some people, DART might seem like nothing. But one day, this technology could mean EVERYTHING!

106

AndroFeth t1_isago9t wrote

I would also add that Jupiter helps to attract asteroids as well for thousands of years and help protect us for the most part.

5

Snorca t1_is8fef8 wrote

Look, there's nothing up there, so we're not sending any DART or whatever countermeasure for some nonexistent space rock. DON'T LOOK UP!

−5

Crixxa t1_is9pbe6 wrote

Cool deal. Wish we had at least half as many rockets destined for space as we do each other.

9

[deleted] t1_isc5qcp wrote

Is it the first time that humans have altered any celestial object’s course? Pretty damn cool!

2

AutoModerator t1_is5uc4m wrote

Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a place free of excessive cynicism, negativity and bitterness. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here.

All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

1x54f t1_isau4no wrote

Better watershed than watercloset!

1

PositiveStress8888 t1_is8eoun wrote

Now we can get back to turning the planet into an asteroid !!

−5

Alien8w8 t1_is6y23k wrote

Hmmmm. By moving this space rock, have we maybe doomed another world by altering it's trajectory ever so slightly? Chaos theory!

This is an amazing achievement however.

−11

argv_minus_one t1_isb31cw wrote

No. It's confined to this solar system and there aren't any other inhabited planets in it.

1

patienceisfun2018 t1_is5wli3 wrote

Based on how things have been going recently, I'll be waiting for the article that explains how humanity redirected the asteroid into an even more vulnerable collision location on our planet.

−23

Extra-Process-9394 t1_is6o0j2 wrote

This is literally a subreddit for uplifting news. Can you be negative elsewhere?

20

_chames_ t1_is7blm2 wrote

This sub is a celebration of humanity’s ability to transcend ‘how things have been going recently’. Yes, the world has problems, but optimism is a belief that despite all our flaws we’re capable of awe-some things, in the true meaning of the word.

I respect your right to your opinion, but unless you’re batting for humanity, there’s probably a better place to put it.

8

TheMonkDan t1_is8qqng wrote

Tell me you don't know what you're talking about, without telling me you don't know what you're talking about.

0

ASK_IF_IM_PENGUIN t1_is5xzm4 wrote

In two hundred years Dimorphos has circled round and is now on a direct collision course with Earth. After the cataclysm human kind no longer has the means to defend itself and Dimorphos will mean our complete destruction. Somewhere in New California an historian discovers records that show an ancestor fired a fridge at the rock, knocking it off its perfectly safe course but ultimately leading it back towards us.

He has just enough time to say "What the actual f..."

−2

dog_superiority t1_is63656 wrote

NASA over hypes up stuff more than any agency I can think of.

−35

ThatTupperKid t1_is65xih wrote

If you were being tasked to do extremely technical low-chance-of-success things on a small budget and had a history of being the banner-bearer of national pride, you might be inclined to hype up your successes too.

30

dog_superiority t1_is6843j wrote

"Watershed moment for humanity"? Really?

My grandkids probably won't even know about this.

−20

SilverNicktail t1_is6n6xr wrote

The first real-world demonstration of our ability to protect the planet against catastrophic asteroid impact is a pretty big deal, but I guess hitting a rock tens of millions of kilometres away with a fridge isn't impressive if you're a dullard.

16

dog_superiority t1_is6vupm wrote

As an engineer, I don't view that as very hard. On the list of technological "leaps" it's way down the list.

−26

Extra-Process-9394 t1_is6nvmm wrote

Well I'm hoping either you won't reproduce, or your grandkids end up smarter than you, because the ability to protect our young species from one possible source of cataclysm is pretty damn significant. It means nothing until it means everything huh

13