5 ms·

There was an earlier interstellar object in 2014, and it hit earth. They are planning an expedition to retrieve pieces of it. https://www.space.com/2014-meteor-

• aceazzameen 4y ago
  Interesting! Why do meteors become classified and then not?
  • jcrawfordor 4y ago
    The issue in these cases is typically not the actual information but the methods of collection. When astronomical or other information is collected by an intelligence system, it can be time-consuming or even theoretically difficult to "sanitize" the data so that it does not reveal information about the design, capabilities, and specifications of that system. For example, imagery collected by intelligence satellites for purposes like wilderness firefighting is usually kept classified and distilled into summary maps instead, because the images themselves could be analyzed to reveal the resolution, sensitivity, and wavelength filtering of the sensor used... Valuable information to an adversary designing countermeasures.
    • xp84 4y ago
      Sometimes you run across a comment that contains more insightful knowledge than entire articles. Thanks for this! I would never have considered this but it makes perfect sense!
    • bagels 4y ago
      You could also reveal the location or number of sensors as well, which they may not want to reveal.
    • aceazzameen 4y ago
      This was very insightful and something I have to keep in mind! Thank you!
• quaintdev 4y ago
  Isn't it late to do such expedition? I mean the object could be small or teared down to pieces. And we have to look into ocean, it could have flown somewhere else. I mean it does not even count as futile at this point.
  • a2800276 4y ago
    Finding a random rock in the ocean is still orders of magnitude easier than build a space ship to intercept random rocks in space.
    • edgyquant 4y ago
      Is it really though? The benefit of space is it’s mostly empty and things stick to their trajectory due to not usually colliding with other things. A rock in the ocean is a thing inside another thing with tons of other things constantly acting on chaotically. I imagine it’s easier to track a big rock in empty space than a normal size rock inside a vat of water with a bunch of other rocks and a multitude of various life forms to boot
      • a2800276 4y ago
        “Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.” --Douglas Adams
  • adastra22 4y ago
    The not-as-crazy-as-it-sounds idea is that this thing had such a crazy high density that it may have been an instance of alien technology. If so, maybe not much of it survived, but it ought to be immediately recognizable as not your average rock when found. Even if it's just a regular space rock, it should be possible to identify a rock with the characteristic marks of reentry scarring, laying among countless other very normal looking underwater rocks and nodules.
  • Geee 4y ago
    The odds aren't great, but if there's any chance they shouldn't leave this stone unturned.