Comet Impact Page #4

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The power of nature, for better orfor worse.

impacted the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico,

creating 100 mile wide crater.

The KT Extinction Event.

Is estimated the impact of the force...

was equivalent to six million Hiroshima bombs.

It created a vast dust cloud which

blocked the light of the sun and...

...prevented photosynthesis for many years.

The KT Extinction Event was the death knell

forthe majority of life on earth.

According to leading comet expert

Professor Neil Gant...

...it could all happen again.

Breaking newsjust in from the United States,

a NASA scientist has reported that...

comet Rockall, which caused such devastation

in Western Ireland,

may have been part of a chain of comets...

which could collide with planet earth in

eight months time.

Switch the telly on.

Professor Gant has named the

comet chain Gibden-Bell...

afterthe two astronomers who first

discovered it...

Reports of another possible comet impact have

sparked fear in the worls media.

Stocks crashed in the blackest day for Wall Street

in living memory...

Interest rates... soared and Banks closed their

doors... as trading ceased across the globe.

You'vejust wiped ten billion dollars off

the DowJones Index,

and now the panic's rippling around the rest

of the world.

You've embarrassed N.E.O.

It looks as if we were covering it up.

Weren't we?

Lampinelli called. NASAwants us both

in Washington.

General Harris has demanded a debrief.

Who?

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

- Oh that General Harris?

- Yes, that General Harris.

- Hi Frank. - Morning Josh.

The General's ready for you both.

I hope you've said your Hail Marys.

I'm not interested in the politics of who said

what, when or why right now,

I just want facts.

Is earth in danger of being hit by

another comet?

There is a potential threat, yes sir.

Our calculations suggest a one percent chance...

of a collision somewhere on the earth's surface.

One percent?

You put the fear on everyone on this planet for

one percent?

If there was a one percent chance there was

a rattlesnake in your back yard,

would you let your kids go out and

play hide and seek?

We're currently working on predicting

the comes chain's ellipse, its trajectory,

but thas not something we can nail down

in a matter of weeks.

What are you saying?

The further away the comet chain,

the less accurate our predictions.

We need to send a NASA probe out there,

get a better handle on the comet chain's size

and its structure.

Okay, I'll back it.

Whas the situation with the Japanese and

European space agencies?

We're liaising with them now.

Good, and I want a report on our response options

to this thing.

We've gotta be ready.

I'm gonna need to put a team together sir.

Whatever you need.

Looks like you gentlemen have your work cut out.

Today NASA announced the first tracking of

a cosmic probe to...

investigate Gibden-Bell,

the comet chain scientists...

fear could be on a direct collision path

with earth.

- Hey welcome. - How are ya?

Yeah, good.

Back at N.E.O. We set about refining our

calculations for Gibden-Bell's trajectory.

As the comet got nearer our calculations improved.

It was not good news.

Each time the potential comet path narrowed...

it seemed to be honing in on planet earth.

Spotlight Voyager Seven, NASA report progress on

the preparation of the cosmic probe.

Designed to carry out detailed reconnaissance of t

the probe could bejust days from launch.

What we're trying to create here is a spread of

a Tsunami envelope.

If a fragment of Gibden-Bell does hit there's

a high probability,

it will impact in one of our major oceans.

If is a land impact then the dust composition

will be critical.

For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt

thou return.

Are these the samples from the Stardust mission?

I'm just trying to see if the fragments we record

from Rockall can give us an idea...

- as to the composition, go on take a look.

- Oh great, thanks.

If a high percentage of those particles

contain sulphur...

we could be heading for another Ice Age.

So deadly, yet so pretty.

Oh gosh they're beautiful.

- How are things with Josh? - Yeah...

If there is an impact this is the bad boy

we need to worry about.

Roughly a mile in diameter he's about

the size of Central Park...

and coming at us at 40 kilometres per second.

If any fragment is gonna impact,

it will be this one,

the largest of the fragments Gibden-Bell A.

Who's gonna tell the General?

As the threat of comet impact increases...

NASA announces that the launch of probe

Voyager Seven is imminent.

Mission focus will be the largest comet

Gibden-Bell A.

Anything Neil?

I've been working on the Whipple shoot issue

forthe probe,

the launch team is saying there's not enough space

on the launch vehicle...

but I think is essential if we're gonna protect

the probe from comet debris.

Whas up with you?

Still working on those radar images from Arecibo.

They'll be nothing like the probe

can give us but...

worth having a back-up.

Arecibo, the most powerful radio telescope

on earth.

Wishful thinking on Josh's part,

the comet chain was still too distant for us

to see anything useful.

We desperately needed the probe.

- D minus ten

- Guys, is going.

NASA scientists have worked tirelessly to

ready the probe for launch.

Now their efforts are complete, we have lift-off.

Voyager Seven ascends towards the stars,

its mission to conduct a thorough analysis of

the comet Gibden-Bell.

As the likelihood of an impact continues to rise,

this essential information will confirmed or

denied the possibilies to collision with earth

With it go the hopes and fears of all mankind.

God speed Voyager Seven.

If a comet impacts in the ocean,

it will create a Tsunami 20 times the size of

the one that hit Ireland,

and if it hits the Pacific...

well, we can say goodbye to the whole of

the West Coast.

The countries of Central America will be devastate

as will Japan...

and is no betterforthe Atlantic.

We'd lose every coastal county in New England,

Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

The waves produced would annihilate Ireland and

the British Isles and cause...

Ireland again eh?

...and cause chaos in mainland Europe,

the Caribbean, North West Africa...

we'd be looking in the death tolls of

tens of millions.

What if we don't let it hit?

What if we try and deflect it?

Well your man at lmperial College thinks

it can be done but...

they're still finessing the figures on the mass

to thrust ratios.

No I'm not talking about kinetic impact.

Given the time frame,

a stand-off nuclear explosions are

the only viable option.

This is a possible solution that...

we could present to General Harris next week.

Josh the... the implications of using thermo

nuclear weapons...

I know, but it is an approach thas actually

got a chance of working.

Give it a read.

Les at least try going with this.

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