Small Asteroid Is Earth's Constant Companion | Hacker News Reader

Small Asteroid Is Earth's Constant Companion

jpl.nasa.gov

134 pointsfforflo43 comments

How does this affect Earth's status as a planet? The asteroid seems to be sharing our orbit, and the IAU has decided that if you haven't cleared your orbit you're not a planet. That's how Pluto got disqualified.

Are we a dwarf planet now?

'Clearing your orbit' is not a qualitative term. It is actually something that is quantifiable: a value that expresses the relation of the mass in the planet's orbit compared to the mass of the planet itself.

A tiny asteroid won't change that value much for Earth, which is more than comfortably a planet under this definition. The mass of this asteroid may not even affect the estimates of the mass of the regular space debris in our orbit even (haven't checked).

I didn't know that the "clearing your orbit" requirement had the caveat that it had to be cleared up to a given mass ratio. Do you know what that mass ratio is?

Wikipedia includes the un-sourced qualifier "no other bodies of comparable size other than its satellites or those otherwise under its gravitational influence." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearing_the_neighbourhood

The "comparable size" is not part of the IAU definition, which just includes "(c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit." http://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau0603/

It's not a moon, it is a quasi-satelite.*

We know of multiple, but this appears to behave like an actual moon more accurately than the others.

"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasi-satellite

I'm disappointed they didn't go with quasilite.

They didn't go with that because that's what we call newcomers to Seattle!

It is just 100 meters across. A single nuke and we will be back to one moon.

Alternative scenario: cut it down to pieces, bring back to Earth - perhaps it is made of gold or better?

Or, strange idea, leave it be.

That is not the Human way.

Perhaps a good test site for Planetary Resources, although it sounds like it may be too small. Can you call dibs on an asteroid?

Yes, it's first come first serve.

Both US and Luxembourg have laws stating that if you get there first you own it and can use it for commercial purposes.

Have a look at my post, it's a sibling to your comment.

No, you can't technically call "dibs" on it. It's not enough that all governments on earth have taken up all the land on the planet, they claim all of space as well:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty

It's been ratified by most of the governments on our planet.

The key part from the wiki page:

"[...]the Treaty states that "outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means"

Treaties are only as good as the will to enforce them.

> [the Outer Space Treaty has] been ratified by most of the governments on our planet

The United States has already started passing legislation [1] which lets American companies claim ownership of celestial objects with the backing and force of American law and law enforcement.

[1] http://www.space.com/31177-space-mining-commercial-spaceflig...

It would seem the treaty is really about weapons of mass destruction and similar threats. All planets to be used only for peaceful purposes? Good luck with that.

The treaty had a meaning when there were basically two-three countries capable of doing anything in space. Now we have private corporations doing similar feats.

Soon it will be recognized as obsolete and new laws will be needed.

Your comment made me laugh, thank you.

Nuke it in orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Or worse, like Andromeda Strain [1], full of dangerous viruses. Maybe we could sample it for viruses but can we test its full volume for viruses before bringing it on earth? But, it may lie dormant there and pass tests there, and once in Earth's climate, springs to life. In either way, gold or viruses, very thrilling.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andromeda_Strain

Fun! So now to find the writeup for the KSP parameters for an intercept. It would be fascinating if it were an alien artifact, designed in such a way that you would have to reach a certain level of technology to actually see it, and then a bit further to go out and visit it. Leave a box on it with pictures for how to call the aliens to have a talk with them.

If nothing else it would be a fun story to write.

So, now we have a sort of Minmus?

> it would be a fun story to write

You mean 2001?

Too small to destroy the Earth, yet not big enough to act as a Space Prison... alas.

Oh, I dunno. If its orbit is currently stable, then all you'd need to do is increase its velocity, whenever you add mass.

It might be a good object to seed with lunar landfill.

I'm thinking it could be like the outer space version of Sealand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Fort_Roughs

Just the right size to turn into our first starship?

That would actually make sense if its mass could be turned into fuel.

That's no Moon.

It's 1/2 the size of an aircraft carrier... Not much of a battle station either.

Planetary Resources [1] (that asteroid mining company) might be interested in this bit of news. Hope it's minable!

[1] http://planetaryresources.com/

Unless it's made from stacks of crisp USD bills, I doubt they will be interested. Because that's what they seem to have been focused on mining to date.

I find that so disappointing. Of course there are people already planning to rip resources out of the cosmos. Once you've left Earth barren, of course it makes sense to spread our destructive tendencies throughout the solar system / galaxy.

If we can stop mining resources on earth and outsource that to some asteroids, why not? We still need resources.

That's a pretty negative way of looking at it.

I don't disagree that humanity is 'wasteful', but these 'destructive' tendencies will be necessary for the creation and propagation of _life_ beyond/within our solar system.

What do you value more, preservation of the cosmos in their current state, or the expansion of our existence beyond Earth.

I think the fact that companies are already looking to mine asteroids is nothing short of awesome and inspiring.

Unless you plan on us living a life of bare subsistence, and artificially-limiting our population growth, there is no way around it. There is no equivalent to "being one with mother-nature" when you get to this stage. At this point, resources are just there to fuel our existence, and using up barren raw-resource pockets outside of our current "home" seems like a very good way of doing it.

This is so romantic! Earth has a little friend that (at least on a human timescale) has always been there, always will be, no questions asked <3

You mean like the moon?

its only been there a hundred years, according to the article

If I were aliens attempting to subtley measure the progress of life on Earth, that's where I'd put my monitoring station.

One word, cruithne

Url changed from http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/stories/earth-has-cap..., which points to this.

The 3rd planet is sure that they're being watched

By an eye in the sky that can't be stopped. [1]

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsnELWjsCsA

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