Congressional candidate: Moon-colonizing companies could destroy cities by dropping rocks

[rci2950]

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/20...troy-cities-b/

A transgender-issues activist and Democratic candidate for Congress says the advent of the space tourism industry could give private corporations a “frightening amount of power” to destroy the Earth with rocks because of the Moon’s military importance.

Brianna Wu, a prominent “social justice warrior” in the “Gamergate” controversy who now is running for the House seat in Massachusetts’ 8th District, suggested in a since-deleted tweet that companies could drop rocks from the Moon.


“The moon is probably the most tactically valuable military ground for earth,” the tweet said. “Rocks dropped from there have power of 100s of nuclear bombs.”

SpaceX announced Monday it is planning to launch a tourism venture to the Moon in 2018.

After users on social media questioned her scientific literacy, the congressional candidate clarified that the tweet was “talking about dropping [rocks] into our gravity well.”

Small space rocks can indeed do nuclear-weapons-scale damage if hitting the Earth at orbital speeds. But launching one from the moon, even setting aside issues of aiming, would still require escaping the satellite’s gravitational field, a task that requires the power and thrust contained in a huge rocket.

One Internet wit posted on Twitter the footage of an astronaut hitting a golf ball on the moon, with the words: “Alan Shepard: FORE! [destroys Leningrad].”

Ms. Wu blamed criticism of her on sexism: “that’s the danger of being a woman on the internet!” she exclaimed.

“Like, you all can make fun of that statement, but it will still be true,” another Wu tweet said. “This is why the militarization of space is so dangerous.”

[Full Otto]

[Altarboy]

That's good stuff there. So dumb. And look at it's mouth. Look at it!

[alismith]

She does have a point. I remember all the dust that drifted into our atmosphere when the astronauts landed the Lunar Lander on the moon. The dust it kicked up was almost suffocating to those of us left here. It took months for that dust to settle and then, when it did, our cars kept churning it up every time we drove down the road.

I hope she gets elected and helps prevent this terrorist opportunity. If ISIS ever got up there and started throwing moon rocks, we'd be totally at their mercy. And everyone knows how merciful they are....

I'd vote for her if I could.

[FunkyPertwee]

Communist scum like this need thrown from helicopters!

Mankind will never make it off of this planet with people like this directing society.

[5.56NATO]

This level of genius is only surpassed by the dem who said that island could tip over.

[imanaknut]

A photo of someone who does not have a usable brain cell in her head, yet keeps on breathing.

First, and rock that can be lifted by a human being would burn up in the atmosphere before hitting the ground, see meteors.

Second, the lunar flights to the moon as I understand would not land but would just go out, swing around the moon and return to earth. Unless they had the ability to extend a 100 mile arm from the trans-lunar spacecraft, it would be really difficult to throw rocks at the earth.

If I was this girl's parents, I would be seeking medical attention for her immediately.

[Full Otto]

it would be really difficult to throw rocks at the earth.

Maybe they could use "moonbats"

[alismith]

A photo of someone who does not have a usable brain cell in her head, yet keeps on breathing.

First, and rock that can be lifted by a human being would burn up in the atmosphere before hitting the ground, see meteors.

Second, the lunar flights to the moon as I understand would not land but would just go out, swing around the moon and return to earth. Unless they had the ability to extend a 100 mile arm from the trans-lunar spacecraft, it would be really difficult to throw rocks at the earth.

If I was this girl's parents, I would be seeking medical attention for her immediately.

And, sue the school system that "educated" her.

[raxar]

You guys keep calling it a "her" but I'm betting it isn't.......

[imanaknut]

You guys keep calling it a "her" but I'm betting it isn't.......

Holy #!@$^ you might be right!!!!

[Schuetzenman]

Why would anybody on the moon bomb earth cities. The logic is retarded, you'd be f'ing up your life line.

[alismith]

Why would anybody on the moon bomb earth cities. The logic is retarded, you'd be f'ing up your life line.

Since when have leftist/liberal loons ever been logical?

It makes sense to her and, as far as she's concerned, that's all that matters.

[NAPOTS]

You guys keep calling it a "her" but I'm betting it isn't.......

[Krupski]

This level of genius is only surpassed by the dem who said that island could tip over.

[Altarboy]

The moon has gravity. 1/6 that of Earth, but it has gravity.

[imanaknut]

You guys keep calling it a "her" but I'm betting it isn't.......

Actually rereading the article, we both are right!

[Krupski]

The moon has gravity. 1/6 that of Earth, but it has gravity.

the point being........?

[Krupski]

Why would anybody on the moon bomb earth cities. The logic is retarded, you'd be f'ing up your life line.

Something falling into the earth's gravity well from an infinite distance would make atmospheric entry at a velocity of exactly earth escape velocity (11.2 km/s). Escape velocity of the moon is 2.38 km/s.

To "toss a rock" at the earth, one would need to accelerate it up to near escape velocity (just fast enough to reach the earth/moon equigravisphere - where the earth and lunar gravity influence are equal).

At that point, the rock's velocity would be near zero, then it would begin to speed up again as the earth's gravity took over.

At earth, the rock would be moving at around 11 km/s (near escape velocity).

At that point, the rock would probably burn up or explode due to the entry G forces (because the rock would hit the atmosphere flat-on, not carefully skim the edge as do returning spacecraft).

Anyway, the energy released at earth would be about only 6 times as much as the energy expended to launch the rock off the moon in the first place.

In a nutshell, impossible. One would have to expend about "1 megaton" of energy on the moon to release "6 megatons" of energy on earth (wildly impractical).

It would be much more effective to modify the orbit of an asteroid so that it intersects earth orbit. Now THAT would be truly awful.

[kuntryboy]

This level of genius is only surpassed by the dem who said that island could tip over.

pair that with: "we have to pass the bill, to see what's in the bill".