Surely this is a joke?

http://mosnews.com/feature/2005/04/19/deepimpact.shtml

I'm sure someone is Russia is actually trying this -- this type of attempt to extort money over ridiculous grounds seems very in keeping with what I know of the Russian character and culture.

However, I doubt anyone in the U.S. will ever respond to such arguments. There were scores of similar attempts within the U.S. back in the 60s, with various crackpots insisting that American and Russian satellites and Moon probes were causing their spiritual beliefs great harm. They were all laughed out of court then, and I have confidence they'll be laughed out of court now.

Then again, what with all these right-wing religious fundamentalist judges that the current U.S. administration is trying to push into the system, I could possibly be wrong... for example, if a U.S. citizen brought a suit insisting that manned spaceflight is a threat to the process of the Rapture (the triumphant return of Christ and the immediate transportation to Heaven of the "chosen few"), there are judges currently nominated for Federal courts who might well rule in favor.

-the other Doug

That is the worst reporting I have ever seen - it goes on and on about explosives.

IT'S NOT GOING TO EXPLODE!!!

"a “fly-by” spacecraft and a smaller “impactor” carrying some 350 kilograms of a copper-based explosive"

WAHGHAH - it's just a lump of copper!!

Almost as much of a loonie as the person making the claim...
"
“I am not a scientist,” Molokhov says, “but experts say the impact could disrupt the comet’s plasma trail, which could have an effect on satellite communications.”
"

Bwhaa haaaaaaagaaaaa ha ha ha ha
Doug

Hahha ha h ha h ah ha ha ha hha ha ha... !

<gasp> <thump>

Um, yeah... if people are entitled to compensation for moral damages, the U.S. government owes me nearly a trillion dollars by now, for funding things that I morally oppose...

Doug

Some great science in there. I quote:


That reporter really did his/her research... as was said above, the thing doesn't carry any explosives. It's just copper.

Last I heard, specialists in "extort money over ridiculous grounds" live mostly in USA. All power of RIAA against 13-year child, software patents, milions $ over spilled hot cofee and other nice things.

'There were scores of similar attempts within the U.S. back in the 60s, with various crackpots insisting that American and Russian satellites and Moon probes were causing their spiritual beliefs great harm. '

I recall prior to Apollo 11 a news story about the government of Saudi Arabia sending a message to the US asking that Apollo 11 not land on the Moon, as it is a sacred object to Islam and stepping on it would be an act of desecration. I have not been able to find a reference to this since I found a reference in the now dispersed Hansen Planetarium library when I worked there 15 years ago. A Saudi citizen confirmed this story for me in the mid 1970's. Does anyone have any information about this?

If the US were to return to the Moon I wonder if this objection would be raised again? In the late '60's we could laugh off such objections, but in an era of rising Islamic fundamentalism such a project could be taken as a challenge, perhaps prompting threats of an oil embargo or even efforts to sabatoge eforts to return to the Moon.

Don

Let me recall that the crackpots you speak about, not only harm science or pose terrorist threats, but -not the least fault- they also speak in the name of all those who practice religion and spirituality as a mean to live in peace and happiness with themselves and with others. So these people have not one, but two reasons to be angry after the crackpots.

Right on the countrary, the persons who consecrate their life to explore and master their inner soul often tend to develop an attitude which is the transposition of the scientific attitude in the spiritual domain. And they are often among the most interested in physics and space exploration. But they do not use suicide bombing to express their joy and emotion, so the newspapers do not speak of them, as if they did not existed.

Unless somebody asks some question, I do no more elaborate on this, as it is, not really off topic, but, say, tangent to the topic.

"Indeed, the consequences of destroying a comet may include anything from an asteroid shower to disruption to radio waves.

“I am not a scientist,” Molokhov says, “but experts say the impact could disrupt the comet’s plasma trail, which could have an effect on satellite communications.”"

Best....quote....EVAR!!!! Incidentally, in the category of: "you know the cold war is over when", did any one else notice there was an advert for the US NAVY on that website?!!

I think that doesn't sum up adequately my thoughts right now.


Oh well, time for the obligatory Yakov Smirnoff jokes.
In Soviet Russia, NASA sues you!




I'm irritated by the enourmous national debt. Can I have like, just maybe 0.1% of the yearly interest payments? I'll be quiet then, and promise not to sue any further.

This story is not funny at all: remember that there was a successfull suing against a guy who said that the Earth was orbiting around the sun, contradicting the "religious" beliefs of the establishment. He had to say ridiculous things to escape death sentence. Galileo was his name if I remember well.

Is this really impossible today? I would not bet. The spirit of dogmatism and intolerance is still there, as a creeping minority, even in developed and cultivated countries. And as a majority of "religious" nuts in some countries. And I am not sure that if, even in developed countries, somebody made a really revolutionary discovery, that he would not gain the open hostility of certain scientists.

So humour in this domain is still a defense.