Topic: NASA to launch sky-mapping spacecraft

[sam]

http://www.physorg.com/news179331745.html

NASA's latest space telescope will scan the sky in search of never-before-seen asteroids, comets, stars and galaxies, with one of its main tasks to catalog objects posing a danger to Earth. The sky-mapping WISE, or Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, is scheduled to launch no earlier than before dawn Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central California coast aboard a Delta 2 rocket.

[Simon]

We can sleep soundly in our beds again, in the knowledge that we will be told when the planet is about to be destroyed. 

[sam]

We can sleep soundly in our beds again, in the knowledge that we will be told when the planet is about to be destroyed. 

:-D

That's one thing Arecibo does - its quite cool as they fire off radar pulses to asteroids to figure out stuff about them. Just don't be a bird in the 2deg beam at that time - trust me instant cooked bird. Quite scary really.

[Clive]

Three cheers for WISE.   

[Rik]

That's one thing Arecibo does - its quite cool as they fire off radar pulses to asteroids to figure out stuff about them. Just don't be a bird in the 2deg beam at that time - trust me instant cooked bird. Quite scary really.

The death ray has arrived...

[sam]

The death ray has arrived...

will just look at the one feed.. (I think Star Wars copied it): http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrydude/4129840405/in/set-72157622834417708/