# A meteor heads towards Washington D.C. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970 "2013-07-19T19:34:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970/21 "2013-07-19T22:39:54Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I just like planes that much plus a lot of the stuff there is irreplaceable too. I think people 500 years from now would still love to have the actual examples of the first planes and spacecraft ever made. All of the Smithsonians are like that in many ways but the Air and Space Space museum has a collection that is even harder than the others to replicate in some form IMO. > > The White House isn’t a contender IMO. Fairly few people realize that the entire White House was gutted and completely rebuilt from the inside out in the late 1940’s and the modern version is newer than some suburban ranch houses. They even sold the original furniture and fixtures and replaced them with more ‘modern’ versions because that is just the way people rolled back then. It makes you realize that the Lincoln bedroom and every other historical reference is just a fiction. The whole thing could be rebuilt again. The Capitol building could probably use a good rebuilding itself. > > [http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/what-the-white-house-looks-like-completely-gutted-20130226](http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/what-the-white-house-looks-like-completely-gutted-20130226) The Supreme Court Building is another example of a landmark that isn’t as old as people think. It was a New Deal project and it’s only seventy-eight years old. For most of the its history, the Supreme Court conducted its business in the Capitol building. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970/22 "2013-07-19T22:45:10Z")
The data in the National Archives is redundantly backed up in several places. So, I wouldn’t protect it. Much as I would like to save those wonderful and irreplaceable artifacts in the Air and Space Museum, I would choose to spare a national symbol for solidarity after the disaster rather than preserve the Museum (goodbye, 1903 Wright Flyer). The White House is the home of the President but it is not the seat of government. That would be, in my opinion, the US Capitol building. I would protect it. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970/23 "2013-07-19T22:49:35Z")
It’s not really clear what all is actually _in_ the [National Archives Building](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Archives_Building)–the originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, along with a copy of the Magna Carta and other historical documents. Those are all priceless artifacts of course, but it’s not like everyone’s Permanent Record would be lost; all the actual files pertaining to the business of government are in [bland modern buildings in the suburbs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_National_Archives_II.jpg). I voted for the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, just 'cause it’s an [incredible](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:(Great_Hall._View_of_first_and_second_floors,_with_Minerva_mosaic_in_background._Library_of_Congress_Thomas_Jefferson_Building,_Washington,_D.C.)_(LOC).jpg) [building](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LOC_Main_Reading_Room_Highsmith.jpg) and is no doubt also chock full of priceless historical artifacts. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970/24 "2013-07-20T01:01:26Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > The Smithsonian. However much is possible. This. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970/25 "2013-07-20T02:27:47Z")
You know a good Doper is going to look for a loophole for the situation as presented. I have a couple for you. An isolated meteorite that only destroys single buildings wouldn’t pack enough punch to obliterate everything under it or even inside of it. That is a key flaw in the complete obligation alternatives. The main National Archives building is most famous for displaying the Declaration of Independence, the original U.S. Constitution, and the original Bill of Rights. All of those are mounted in display cases attached to elevators that move them into secure underground vaults every night as well as in cases of emergency. They are designed to survive localized bombing even when on display and threats up to nuclear war when secure in their vaults. Security personnel can send them down to the vaults for security at any sign of a threat. The meteorite may destroy the building itself but the really famous documents should still be able to be recovered. > **[BBV - Diebold - "Protecting the Charters of Freedom" - Oh the IRONY.. -...](https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x333724)** > > BBV - Diebold - "Protecting the Charters of Freedom" - Oh the IRONY.. For the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, one of them most famous exhibits is the Hope Diamond. I will need an expert opinion but I don’t think the meteorite as described will destroy or even mar it at all. It may be difficult to locate and recover the Hope Diamond from a completely destroyed building but I think it would also survive just fine as well. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970/26 "2013-07-20T03:15:09Z")
In all honesty, I’d save [Ben’s Chili Bowl](http://benschilibowl.com/). That is some damned good eatin’. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970/27 "2013-07-20T10:27:41Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > For the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, one of them most famous exhibits is the Hope Diamond. I will need an expert opinion but I don’t think the meteorite as described will destroy or even mar it at all. It may be difficult to locate and recover the Hope Diamond from a completely destroyed building but I think it would also survive just fine as well. Diamond is carbon. What about the heat? ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970/28 "2013-07-20T14:58:13Z")
All I would care about is getting my fat ass on the other side of the Appalachians before the rock hit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meteor-heads-towards-washington-d-c/663970.md?page=1)