Monday laff - NO unilateral asteroid invasion allowed

The Association of Space Explorers, a group comprised of over 300 former astronauts from 30 nations, is working on a proposal to present to the UN's Committee for Peaceful Uses for Outer Space in 2009. Da plan? Having the UN adopt procedures for assessing asteroid threats, and deciding if, and when, to take action.

Wha...??? LOL

This little ditty comes form Reuters today, but I can't blame the messenger here.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An asteroid may come uncomfortably close to Earth in 2036 and the United Nations should assume responsibility for a space mission to deflect it, a group of astronauts, engineers and scientists said on Saturday.

snip

The favored approach to dealing with a potentially deadly space rock is to dispatch a spacecraft that would use gravity to alter the asteroid's course so it no longer threatens Earth, said astronaut Ed Lu, a veteran of the International Space Station.

The so-called Gravity Tractor could maintain a position near the threatening asteroid, exerting a gentle tug that, over time, would deflect the asteroid.

snip

Mission costs are estimated at $300 million.

Okay... what's wrong with this picture? Who has the tech capabilities, budget and current fleets to do the job? The US, of course. So are the Space Explorers suggesting that we put our NASA experts and resources under the jurisdiction and control of a UN committee so that they may "assume responsibility" for a space mission??

Not to mention, the thought of putting the Earth's fate in the hands of the UN.... geez, do we ever learn?

And does anyone believe that more than a handful of other nations will share in the cost of launching such an expedition? Hang, we can't even get them to pay up for their Indonesia tsunami pledges, Iraq reconstruction pledges, and Afghanistan troops and reconstruction money.

Yup. The UN in charge of saving the world from an asteroid. Boy does that give me a sense of security... pshaw! Or how is it most cybers posters put it? "Bwah haha hahahahahahahaha"!

Seriously, what are these guys thinking? That it's not a good astral-foreign policy to "unilaterally invade, occupy and/or regime change" an attacking asteroid???

Uh... don't think so. But nice try, guys.