Astrologer Sues NASA Over Comet Mission
MOSCOW Jul 5, 2005 — NASA's mission that sent a space probe smashing into a comet raised more than cosmic dust it also brought a lawsuit from a Russian astrologer.
Marina Bai has sued the U.S. space agency, claiming the Deep Impact probe that punched a crater into the comet Tempel 1 late Sunday "ruins the natural balance of forces in the universe," the newspaper Izvestia reported Tuesday. A Moscow court has postponed hearings on the case until late July, the paper said.
Scientists say the crash did not significantly alter the comet's orbit around the sun and said the experiment does not pose any danger to Earth.
The probe's comet crash sent up a cloud of debris that scientists hope to examine to learn how the solar system was formed.
Bai is seeking damages totaling $300 million the approximate equivalent of the mission's cost for her "moral sufferings," Izvestia said, citing her lawyer Alexander Molokhov. She earlier told the paper that the experiment would "deform her horoscope."
NASA representatives in Russia and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., could not be reached for comment on the case.
ABC News
I wasted a few hours at work checking the progress of this thing...
When I found out it was the size of a Volkswagen beetle, i was disappointed that they did not actually use one... if i was on death row and NASA said: "Lethal Injection? or Driving a VW at 23000mph into a comet?"
I'd be like: "I'm there dude!"
Aw, hell... i'd do it now.
That’s like 6.8 miles per second!!!
Getting back to the point...
i agree with this woman in principal. i think bombarding celestial missiles is enviro-galactically irresponsible. They say that they wouldn't be seriously altering the comets corse by striking it, but considering the comets massive trajectory, wouldn't that have massive consequences over the long run? I mean if that thing hits us later I’m going to be pretty miffed!
i think we're getting a little too cocky about what we can get away with here... and i know people will defend NASA to me and say: "they're scientists dude... I’m pretty sure they know what they're doing!"
And I’m pretty bloody sick of that argument because quite frankly, men of science used to believe that the world was flat! men of science who 'knew what they were doing' used to drill holes in peoples heads to allow headaches to escape!!!
Why couldn't they land something on it to drill and film? (Yes the added weight would also affect, but not as bad). Because such an operation would cost more i hear you say? Yeah, well it would be cheaper to throw garbage out the window then pay men to collect it, but there's a good reason why we do that!!!
Fucking up the planet wasn't enough....
They don't know what they're doing!!! it's lunacy!!! (does anyone else get the intended irony of using the term 'lunacy' to describe the actions of NASA?)
Anyway...
This woman has a point, although i don't know why the money should go to her...
she has no legitimate claim to it...
But I love her remark about it deforming her horoscope... that's a classic.
as space travel 'progresses' that is something people are going to have to deal with... the astrological disasters that mankind is destined to initiate...
I can just see the horoscopes of tomorrow...
CAPRICORN: this week brings fortune as you will make a work related decision that will generate new and welcomed income in the following months. You may also attract the attention of a sexy co-worker who will be working closer with you this week. however now with mars being the house of Leo, thanks to the NASA 'blue sky on mars' project increasing it's planetary mass and knocking it off course, you may find many of these opportunities going to less deserving colleagues.
This post has been edited by barend: 05 July 2005 - 07:33 PM