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Subscribe to RSSNASA budgeted $20 million dollars last year to look for objects that may hit the earth, but some scientists say more money should be spent on detection and ways to avoid a possible collision. NBC's Michelle Franzen reports.
CHELYABINSK, Russia -- A small army of workers set to work Saturday to replace the estimated 124 square miles of windows shattered by the shock wave from a meteor that exploded over Russia's Chelyabinsk region.
The astonishing Friday morning event blew out windows in more than 4,000 buildings in the region, mostly in the capital city of the same name and injured some 1,200 people, largely with cuts from the flying glass.
NBC's Tom Costello spoke with Canadian hockey player Michael Garnett about what he saw and felt when a meteorite struck near his apartment in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Fifteen of the injured remained hospitalized on Saturday, one of them in a coma, the regional health ministry said, according to the Interfax news agency.
Regional governor Mikhail Yurevich on Saturday said damage from the high-altitude explosion — estimated to have the force of 20 atomic bombs — is estimated at $33 million. He promised to have all the broken windows replaced within a week.
But that is a long wait in a frigid region. The midday temperature in Chelyabinsk was 10 F, and for many the immediate task was to put up plastic sheeting and boards on shattered residential windows.
More than 24,000 people, including volunteers, have mobilized in the region to cover windows, gather warm clothes and food and make other relief efforts, the regional governor's office said. Crews from glass companies in adjacent regions were being flown in.
In the town of Chebarkul, 50 miles west of Chelyabinsk city, divers explored the bottom of an ice-crusted lake looking for meteor fragments believed to have fallen there, leaving a 20-foot-wide hole. Emergency Ministry spokeswoman Irina Rossius told Russian news agencies the search hadn't found anything.
Police kept a small crowd of curious onlookers from venturing out onto the icy lake, where a tent was set up for the divers.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, speaks to NBC's Lester Holt about the meteor and asteroid that approached Earth on Friday.
Many of them were still trying to process the memories of the strange day they'd lived through.
Valery Fomichov said he had been out for a run when the meteor streaked across the sky shortly after sunrise.
"I glanced up and saw a glowing dot in the west. And it got bigger and bigger, like a soccer ball, until it became blindingly white and I turned away," he said.
In a local church, clergyman Sexton Sergei sought to derive a larger lesson.
"Perhaps God was giving a kind of sign, so that people don't simply think about their own trifles on earth, but rather look to the heavens once in a while."
Related:
Nuclear-like in its intensity, Russian meteor blast is largest since 1908
Meteor sparks rumors, conspiracy theories in Russia
Russian meteor explosion outshone sun
Meteor warning system in the works -- but not ready yet
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I am glad no one was killed, but that was really SO cool. It is also fortuitous that so many people in Russia have video cameras going a lot of the time (They often have them in cars for proof during disputes. I have been over there a few times, and they are among the worst drivers in the world)
"...divers explored the bottom of an ice-crusted lake looking for meteor fragments believed to have fallen there..."
Good choice since there wasn't a lake there yesterday.
King Putt:
Andromeda Strain was a Satellite movie. A human Satellite, code name scope, where they got a alien virus from outer space. The Thing was an alien space ship that crashed and sank in the ice. Maximum Overdrive was a comet movie. War of the Worlds were ships disquieted as meteorites.
The Blob
The Day of the Triffids.
Meteor.
Meteor Man.
These Russians should take comfort in the Bible, where it says, "Many are cold, but few are frozen."
"More than 24,000 people, including volunteers..."
Hi bill.I guess sitting around waiting for a REMA handout ain't on the list. $33mm wouldn't repave a parking lot here.
"Friday morning event blew out windows in more than 4,000 buildings in the region, mostly in the capital city of the same name and injured some 1,200 people, largely with cuts from the flying glass." Those folks are so fortunate it didn't get any closer!
If God gave the land to Israel why is there a dispute? Just provide the proper legal documents and that should be the end of it! NT
I'm also glad no one was killed. As for the one person in a coma--I hope that person will fully recover. That's a tough situation to be in--my best thoughts, wishes and prayers to those people.
A coma might be the easiest position to be in.
true
One story I read said others broke out their own windows, hoping for money from the government. Now that's some good thinking! If they do get money, they'll get money to replace their windows... in the meantime, they freeze - excellent!
I'm confused, NASA claims to to know the exact size, speed, path, altitude and time of impact but, they had no fore knowledge of this astroid, only 1/3 the size (50' / 150') of the one they've been tracking for months.
Well, I had no foreknowledge that you were going to post that, but now that you have, I can read it
Sqrly, does it occur to you that the 1/3 size figure you quoted might have something to do with it?
Most of the information comes from what satellites (and perhaps radars) record after atmospheric entry; a 50-foot object would typically be too small for telescopes to see ahead of time (but see the other article today about a new telescope system planned for Hawaii that might be able to give a day or two warning).
1/3 the size (diameter) means the 50 foot diameter meteor is 1/27 the mass of the 150 foot diameter asteroid, other factors (shape, density) being the same. Breathe a little easier there.
they are just lucky it went into a lake 50 miles away. that's one thing that is for sure.
A light from above the tables are turned:
Russians acting like Americans believe themselves to be, free to act address the problem and worry of the price later.
Compared acting like Americans waiting for the Republican Politburo to give permission for government workers to act or to withhold action, while waiting for a poll.
While the Russians have had a time in learning freedom from the Soviet Politburo, American workers have been attacked, assaulted, robbed and made object of ridicule by a steady stream of Republicans Apparatchik, selling boiled and raw snake oils.
American Government Workers have been turned in buffoons, skilled and polite and yielding to political influence, but cannot yield to their own administrate hierarchy to produce anything of their own authority. Calls from Congress occupy their day for this favor, or some expediting or blocking action. Each undermines the authority of any capable administrator, turning them into a political puppet with strings direct back to the Congress. When things do not get done, Republican Politburo declares bureaucratic ineptitude and seeks to place a like-minded conspirator to the administrative office. No real administrative authority can be effective, with dozens of congressional doyens acting like mini-administrators, the effect if first set up a target for ridicule and then to ridicule.
What the Republican Politburo has leaned from the collapse of the Soviet Union, is how to engineer a collapse of America.
Forty years starting from the time in 1970's where the workers of America held highest percentage of the nation's wealth ever, to the recent economic collapse where 38.8% of total national worth was lost, the stature of the American worker has been under attack.
The suicidal battle cry from Republican Politburo has been directed toward the demonized Government by itself cleverly becoming that 'Government'. So it the result of mangling the government ministrations, and attacking government workers, the Republican Politburo, can expand its attack beyond the government workers to the wider American worker, and recruiting the oligarchical style disguised as big business.
Consider the thought of 3 million government workers supplemented by 3 million private contractors as comprising the Government workers.
Then considering the Republican Politburo goal of having the work force, 50%, now having disparaged these workers for decades, what would become of those three million workers. Would they enter the job market with 'government' on their resume, and would they be hired by the vaunted private sector? Yes some would, especially those who knew the workings of government and could assist in further dismantling it. The rest would not be much help, excepting those who politeness would allow the answer telephones. But in reality it would only be the 3 million private contractors would go first.
Having disparaged so many American government workers, how would the Republican Politburo act against the other 160 million workers? Well reduce wages, limiting benefits, cutting short training, putting highly trained persons in roles not complementing their skills. In summary; all of the commonly used business practices of looking only at the numbers and not knowing or caring of how to best to apply management toward the skills of the workers who work for you.
Anecdote, I have met a few neurophysiologists performing medial jobs, a few chemist selling real estate, at least three nuclear engineers, one homeless, one ticket taker at parking garage, and the last one headed for parts unknown and one who was never able to get a related job. These are many of the peculiar breed of American career over educated, the fill the billet of the major universities. While those drawn to these topics have some talent, they do not have all talents and are mere discards from system that is unsustainable.
There is enough irony to open a mine, Russians living the American Myth, and Americans headed toward a direction against socialism, and against oligarchical capitalism, but being defined as none of the above to Feudalism suitable for the middle ages.
We might was well wait for the Russians to come and help save America for America's sake.
I do not understand what this long rant is about, or what this diatribe has to do with the news item. The fact that this nonsense gathered two 'like' votes just shows how this system is rigged by people's personal friends rather than mediated by professionals in the news bureau. It demonstrates some over site is necessary.
The first sentence of this article is a gem, implying that 124 square miles of glass needs to be replaced. That definitely would take a while.
I loved the quote, "Perhaps God was giving a kind of sign..." Just think what people a long time ago said when something like this happened. Oh wait, that's the Bible.
I love the Russian people. they remind me so much of the South.
why would they be freezing. news people
Just kidding Tony.. no offense intended.
Just imagine what might have happened if this meteor blast had occurred in the early 1960's at the height of the cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States? It probably would have set off World War III. The Russians would presumably have mistaken it for a first strike nuclear missile attack by the US and hit the red button and retaliated, without taking the time to confirm the real nature of the massive blast.
I am not saying this to give the Russians a black eye, because I am assuming that if the scenario were reversed and the meteor had exploded over the US mainland unexpectedly, that Washington would have been just as quick to assume it was caused by an incoming nuclear missile fired by the Soviets' in a first strike. That is why the famous "hot line" between Moscow and Washington was invented to decrease the likelihood of just such an accident. I am very grateful that this meteor exploded in 2013 and not early 1963 or perhaps none of us would be here to contemplate it. Now that's food for thought for those who feel pro-active about the use of long range nuclear warheads. They are not a deterrent and there is no way to put the tooth paste back in the tube in the event of a tragic mistake as this natural disaster demonstrates. Your thoughtful replies are welcome.
A recently published book called "Comets and the Horns of Moses" does a great job of explaining the history of comets and asteroids and their interaction with our planet. The book also provides evidence that major impact events are by no means "rare" in human history. It's a 'must read' for those who want to get up to speed on this increasingly important topic. Your life, or the life of a loved one, could depend on it!
Gee, isn't Russia an oil-rich country? I guess that if Putin hasn't spent all the money building 3-4 nuclear subs per year and 1 aircraft carrier a year plus the extra prisons for those who protest, maybe the government would have enough money to throw everything at this problem so as to minimize the suffering of Russian people. Sounds familiar? can't place the name of the country..oh wait...America
This goes to show that preparing for natural disasters takes creativity to even think of all the possible ones. If these hit a city during a long blizzard it would be deadly cold indoors even, probably almost as bad if it hit during a long heat wave because losing the windows would make the AC worthless until covered. Since the supply of glass is probably limited a while, will need to cover up windows any way they can, wood pieces, blocks, etc.
Hmm lets see now I bomb over Hiroshima destroys a city and kills thousands. A blast estimated at 20 times that breaks a bunch of windows and hurts 1200. Is my math off??
Gee Dave, lets see if I can explain it for you. The bomb at Hiroshima detonated at ground level. The meteorite in Siberia detonated at something like 70,000. feet.
dave-2177659
The blast over Hiroshima was at 1600 feet above the ground. The blast over Russia was at 27,000 feet above the ground. BIG difference in the shock wave.
Correction
According to analysis by meteor expert Peter Brown (University of Western Ontario), the incoming meteoroid carried about 300 kilotons of kinetic energy (about 20 Hiroshimas), entered Earth’s atmosphere at 20 kilometers per second (typical for near-Earth asteroids), was about 15 meters (50 feet) across, and weighed about 7,000 tons. It entered the atmosphere at a grazing angle of less than 20° and burst at a height of 15 or 20 kilometers (10 or 12 miles). An early track-back analysis has put the outer end of its former orbit in the asteroid belt
With all due respect (which is to say, almost none), JESUS CHRIST. This was a scientifically, astronomically explainable phenomenon. There is no more mystery or wonder about this than there is a bolt of lightning, an event which many clueless humans also used to ascribe to various gods.
This was not a sign from any god. It was a meteor. It was a small rock that entered Earth's atmosphere. It happens literally every day. There is absolutely nothing mysterious or supernatural about it whatsoever. No signs. No hidden meanings. No need for a sermon, and certainly no need to use the word "trifles." Good grief. Isn't it seriously time to just start ridiculing these backwards religious freaks for their complete 14th-century idiocy? Truly. The human race was set back at least several centuries by the dogmatic religious oppression of science and rational thinking. Let's turn the tables.
Rational human beings unite! :)