Most folks my age pretty much assume we’ll never see a cent from the Social Security fund. Until now, I always figured that was because the politicians in power are too interested in pandering to voters to bother fixing a system that is so internally flawed.
Now it sounds as if the political foot-dragging won’t matter much, anyway, since we’ll all most likely be dead.
Humans live in a vast solar system where 2,000 feet seems a razor-thin distance.
Yet it’s just wide enough to trigger concerns that an asteroid due to buzz Earth on April 13, 2029 may shift its orbit enough to return and strike the planet seven years later.
The concern: Within the object’s range of possible fly-by distances lie a handful of gravitational “sweet spots,” areas some 2,000 feet across that are also known as keyholes.
The physics may sound complex, but the potential ramifications are plain enough. If the asteroid passes through the most probable keyhole, its new orbit would send it slamming into Earth in 2036. (Source: CS Monitor.)
Ah, well. Sixty-nine isn’t such a bad age to die.
Wednesday, July 27th, 2005, 1:24 pm | 
My Venomous Life | 
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July 27, 2005 at 1:37 pm
Ah, well. Sixty-nine isn’t such a bad age to die.
Also a great activity until the comet gets here!
rimshot
July 28, 2005 at 11:04 am
In 2028 I’m going to take out a loan for all I can get.
July 28, 2005 at 11:17 am
Your witty missive unfortunately repeats media hysteria with the recurring reports of oncoming asteroids (*recurring* — this isnt the first report — because detection technologies have advanced over the last few years, and all we are hearing about is a phenomenon that’s been repeating throughout history).
As the CS Monitor story suggests, there’s lots of opportunity for a successful deflection.
This is why NASA funding must continue! The Shuttle era may be over, but its not the first phase out in NASA technolgoy, so we shouldn’t bash this insitution.
July 31, 2005 at 5:40 pm
We then have plenty of time for Bruce Willis and Ben Afleck to save us. All the while an Aerosmith song can play in the background. Just don’t let NASA run the operation. They’s postpone a launch because a bird pooped on the main fuel tank.