# giant rocks falling from the sky? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888 "2011-01-17T01:13:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **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:** [January 17, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/21 "2011-01-17T06:22:17Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > You’re assuming that meteors run on Macs. 😛 If there’s one thing I’ve learned from TV and the movies, it’s that “hacking” means you can do anything with a computer. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/22 "2011-01-17T09:09:49Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I have a better idea. Make a giant rubber pad and put it at the point of impact. The asteroid will bounce off the pad back into space and Earth wil be saved. Make sure the pad is extra thick, because you don’t want the asteroid to break through it. Probably be a good idea to put some of those unobtainium springs underneath, just in case. One of the top-rated comments on the YouTube video of the 500km-wide asteroid impacting Earth was “This video is false. Chuck Norris would just roundhouse kick the asteroid back into space.” We should go with that. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/23 "2011-01-17T09:20:23Z")
Bubble wrap. Lots and lots of bubble wrap. ---
**Author:** ![\_Undecided\_Adrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/eada6e/32.png) [@\_Undecided\_Adrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Undecided_Adrian)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/24 "2011-01-17T10:35:04Z")
> **[kyon.pl](http://img.kyon.pl/img/5966,prev.html)** > > This domain may be for sale! ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/25 "2011-01-17T11:43:05Z")
Why don’t we just push the Earth to the side for long enough that the meteor misses the Earth completely? We can then push it back afterwards. I’m sure that if we all jump hard enough on the same side of the Earth this will work. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/26 "2011-01-17T12:51:29Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I have a better idea. Make a giant rubber pad and put it at the point of impact. The asteroid will bounce off the pad back into space and Earth wil be saved. Make sure the pad is extra thick, because you don’t want the asteroid to break through it. Probably be a good idea to put some of those unobtainium springs underneath, just in case. It will initially be bounced into space, but then it will fall back down, centered on the location where Wile E Coyote is standing. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/27 "2011-01-17T14:03:32Z")
Assuming that we had enough advanced warning of a significant meteor heading our way, and even if we could predict its exact site and angle of impact, there are really on 3 things that we could do: 1. Launch a bunch of nukes at it. It wouldn’t help but it would look awesome. 2. Have a worldwide party. 3. Bend over, put our heads between our legs, and kiss our butts goodbye. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/28 "2011-01-17T14:37:58Z")
Due to all the pollution in the atmosphere, the asteroid will just burn up as it falls, and what strikes the earth will be a rock no bigger than a Chihuahua’s head. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/29 "2011-01-17T14:52:55Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > To touch on something else, do you have any idea how we could possible dig a hole the size of New York and how long it would take? We could just re-direct a suitably-sized asteroid from the asteroid belt and steer it into the Earth to make the hole! Simple! ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/30 "2011-01-17T15:10:45Z")
> [@GoodOmens](#): > > Assuming that we had enough advanced warning of a significant meteor heading our way, and even if we could predict its exact site and angle of impact, there are really on 3 things that we could do: > > 1. Launch a bunch of nukes at it. It wouldn’t help but it would look awesome. > 2. Have a worldwide party. > 3. Bend over, put our heads between our legs, and kiss our butts goodbye. Number 1 is perfectly practical. Using a bunch of small nukes you can nudge an asteroid into a slightly different orbit that will miss the earth. If you could intercept the asteroid six months before it hits the earth, even a lateral push of one MPH would cause it to miss. There was a project back in the early sixties called Project Orion that would propel spaceships using nuclear bombs. They never figured how to get around the fallout created by a launch from Earth, but that wouldn’t be a problem in deep space. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/31 "2011-01-17T15:16:09Z")
flubber ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/32 "2011-01-17T15:19:42Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Well, then you just have to use some more of that unobtanium to make some _big_ springs under the bucket! Forget springs, just put every last once of explosive you can find under the cradle. Then fire it off like the Abrams Reactive armor. Add more energy to the collision is the perfect answer. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/33 "2011-01-17T15:24:48Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Due to all the pollution in the atmosphere, the asteroid will just burn up as it falls, and what strikes the earth will be a rock no bigger than a Chihuahua’s head. At 25,000mph, a NYC sized meteor would go through the atmosphere in 14.5 seconds. Hardly time to burn at all no matter how much pollution is in the air. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/34 "2011-01-17T15:38:30Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > There was a project back in the early sixties called Project Orion that would propel spaceships using nuclear bombs. They never figured how to get around the fallout created by a launch from Earth, but that wouldn’t be a problem in deep space. This can’t be right, can it? I thought Orion was meant to propel a spacecraft, once that crafts was out to space, not as a launch solution. I think the main problem was how to keep the probe from being crushed by the force of the bomb, and protect the on board instruments from the tremendous acceleration. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/35 "2011-01-17T15:56:32Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > This can’t be right, can it? > > I thought Orion was meant to propel a spacecraft, once that crafts was out to space, not as a launch solution. It depends on how much payload you need to get into space, and how fast. Read “Footfall” by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/36 "2011-01-17T16:01:38Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > At 25,000mph, a NYC sized meteor would go through the atmosphere in 14.5 seconds. Hardly time to burn at all no matter how much pollution is in the air. SDMB rule of thumb - if a post appears both ridiculous and oddly precise, odds are it’s actually a \*Simpsons \*quote. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/37 "2011-01-17T16:10:04Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > SDMB rule of thumb - if a post appears both ridiculous and oddly precise, odds are it’s actually a \*Simpsons \*quote. Believe it or not, I’ve never seen _The Simpsons_. I will now employ the only _Simpsons_ quote I know. D’oh! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/38 "2011-01-17T16:13:09Z")
Sorry, should have posted the [cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart's_Comet). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/39 "2011-01-17T16:19:42Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Sorry, should have posted the [cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart's_Comet). Not to worry, I got whooshed but good. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888/40 "2011-01-17T17:08:28Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > This can’t be right, can it? > > I thought Orion was meant to propel a spacecraft, once that crafts was out to space, not as a launch solution. > > I think the main problem was how to keep the probe from being crushed by the force of the bomb, and protect the on board instruments from the tremendous acceleration. I read a book on project Orion. IIRC, you can use it to launch into orbit. However, environmental groups may be a bit irked. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-rocks-falling-from-the-sky/567888.md?page=3)