Planet Killers vs. Politics: Why We're Defunding Our Only True Defense
I’ve touched on this before; in "The Paradox of the Super Ape," I was hoping that nature had some kind of fail-safe to protect us. So far, it has always done its thing. Besides, past advancements were spread over longer periods and didn't have such a seismic impact on all of humanity at once.
Earlier today, about two hours after waking up, I dared to open Reddit to see what fresh insanity was unfolding, fully expecting some ‘Idiocracy-level’ news. I mean, P. Diddy getting a mere slap on the wrist wasn't exactly surprising. And while I certainly think he should face real consequences, some brief prison time would have been the most entertaining outcome, especially if followed by a presidential pardon, so he wouldn't actually have to face it.
But besides the usual 'news-noise,' one report stood out. It was about a finding that, if its properties had been just slightly different, would have been world news. All of you would know about it and be talking about it because it would have had a significant, literal impact on humanity.
Do you know what this is? This is the sibling of the motherfucker that is going to kill you, your children, or their children (if we don't do it ourselves). The fact is, children are going to die eventually.
(oh, and their race is also notorious for killing lifeforms. The dinosaurs are on them)
And while we are supposedly in control of our nukes (debatable, but you get my point) and all the other ways we could eradicate ourselves, we can't control this motherfucker, hailing from a system potentially hundreds of light-years away just to crash our party.
This one has the beautiful name A11pl3Z, but to avoid any confusion, they gave it the official designation C/2025 N1 (ATLAS). Otherwise, some people might ask when Elon got a new child and why it's hurtling toward us from space.
The smart ones among you already know what it is; some may have guessed from the picture. Yes, it’s an interstellar object on a trajectory straight through our solar system. If its speed were just a fraction different, it would smash right into our friend Mars.
This is only the third confirmed interstellar object ever detected. You might remember:
1I/ʻOumuamua (2017): The famous, cigar-shaped one that had everyone wondering.
C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) (2019): A more conventional-looking comet.
CNEOS 2014-01-08 (IM1) (2014): A potential fourth, though its interstellar origin isn't 100% certain. It was only detected after it hit Earth over the ocean, measuring just 45cm in diameter.
And now this one.
How many of those did you know about? Did you read about today's visitor?
While I most certainly don't think or hope this is some alien civilization taking aim at us, it's still a damn good concept for my novel.
I said we can't do shit against this motherfucker, but it's important to know that's only true for us today. If we would finally understand what’s really important, not for us now, but for our future, we’d be protesting the cuts to NASA's funding. Even politicians might finally get it and promise fewer 'planetary killers' instead of fewer immigrants.
Maybe we should try building a defense system against that. It's a nice feature if the 'ships' used for it are reusable, but that's not the priority. We certainly won't be stopping "planet killers" anytime soon, as that would require some future tech. But I'm sure we're capable of changing the trajectory of the 300-500 meter ones, the "country killers."
you better come up with an explanation for your children when they ask why this bright dot will destroy us.
Please, look at the device you are reading these very words on. This device, the ability to read this from any fucking place on Earth, wirelessly, even in remote areas with satellites, that’s thanks to science. And what are we doing? Blatantly ignoring all their warnings about everything. Why do we only embrace the convenient stuff and ignore the doomsday shit? It's just as real as the device you're holding.
And if we aren't going to increase the funding, please don't shut it off completely. Its current role is just the perfect irony: we'd get a high-definition warning about our impending doom right before, welcome back into a full-on idiocracy.
over and out
