[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: US DOD FIREBALL RELEASE


Ron - 

> Also, the recent nuclear tests by India perfectly illustrates the
issue of 
> national security, and real dangers involved with releasing data
from military
> survellance satellites.

I agree about the satellite data, but what I was asking about was data
from the no longer operational acoustic
array.
It still seems a shame that Gene Shoemaker was attempting to retrieve
from weather barometer data the
same events that were already documented by the 
acoustic array.  

> >Perhaps the openings of the movies 
> >"Deep Impact" and "Armageddon" will cause them to change their minds.
> 
> I think national security has higher priority, and the Pakistan/India
> situation will now probably mean, unfortunately, that no satellite
data 
> will be released from the Air Force.

I agree about current data. At least summariees of data from well
documented and no longer operational
satellites has been released.  It would be nice to have
some better idea of the current flux. 

> What I hope Deep Impact and Armageddon will do, is increase the 
> public awareness of the possibility of asteroid/comet impacts with
Earth, 
> which in turn leads to more funding of asteroid detection programs.  
> This is an act of self-preservation, and does not have to involve
the military.
> 

I agree that NASA needs to do more to detect both asteroids AND long
period comets.

NASA is not equipped to undertake planetary defense, 
but the AF is.  I hope NASA cooperates with the AF in the future the
same way it cooperated with them on Clementine II. 


> Ron Baalke
> 
> 



_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com