FSTDT Forums

Community => Society and History => Topic started by: ThunderWulf on February 15, 2013, 09:07:45 am

Title: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 15, 2013, 09:07:45 am
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/15/hundreds-injured-meteorite-russian-city-chelyabinsk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/15/hundreds-injured-meteorite-russian-city-chelyabinsk)

http://news.yahoo.com/possible-meteor-shower-reported-eastern-russia-052833588.html (http://news.yahoo.com/possible-meteor-shower-reported-eastern-russia-052833588.html)

Quote
CHELYABINSK, Russia (Reuters) - More than 500 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings.

People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow.

A fireball blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms went off, windows shattered and mobile phone networks were interrupted.

"I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.

"I felt like I was blinded by headlights," he said.

No fatalities were reported but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host Finance Ministry officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev were informed.

A local ministry official said such incidents were extremely rare and Friday's events might have been linked to an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool due to pass Earth at a distance of 27,520 km (17,100 miles) but this was not confirmed.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos said the meteorite was travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second and that such events were hard to predict. The Interior Ministry said the meteorite explosion had caused a sonic boom.

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 514 people had sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass, and that 112 of those were kept in hospital. Search groups were set up to look for the remains of the meteorite.

"There have never been any cases of meteorites breaking up at such a low level over Russia before," said Yuri Burenko, head of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Emergencies Ministry.

WINDOWS BREAK, FRAMES BUCKLE

Windows were shattered on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street and some of the frames of shop fronts buckled.

A loud noise, resembling an explosion, rang out at around 9.20 a.m. (12:20 a.m. ET). The shockwave could be felt in apartment buildings in the industrial city's center.

"I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shockwave that smashed windows."

A wall was damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but a spokeswoman said there was no environmental threat.

Although such events are rare, a meteorite is thought to have devastated an area of more than 2,000 sq km (1,250 miles) in Siberia in 1908, smashing windows as far as 200 km (125 miles) from the point of impact.

The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's events as a "meteor shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.

Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their children from schools and kindergartens. They said what sounded like a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 meters (32,800 feet).

Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Nightangel8212 on February 15, 2013, 01:50:54 pm
Yeah, saw this this morning on yahoo... and now I'm watching the skies a little more carefully today...
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: RinellaWasHere on February 15, 2013, 02:26:09 pm
I can't imagine how terrifying that would be, to be honest. Nobody wakes up in the morning thinking that's going to happen, and suddenly, BOOM, the sky is exploding.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: SimSim on February 15, 2013, 02:46:20 pm
Have video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0cRHsApzt8
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: SpaceProg on February 15, 2013, 03:55:58 pm
Didn't a meteor much worse than that explode over Russia before?  Only that one was over forestland that was very sparsely inhabited.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Her3tiK on February 15, 2013, 03:57:49 pm
Didn't a meteor much worse than that explode over Russia before?  Only that one was over forestland that was very sparsely inhabited.
Yeah, that was around 1902 I think. Leveled miles worth of trees, and the impact was felt by Richter scales across the globe.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Damen on February 15, 2013, 04:11:30 pm
You're probably thinking of the Tunguska Event (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event).
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Old Viking on February 15, 2013, 04:18:54 pm
Don't worry about the meteorite.  Worry about the "Attack Response" button.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Her3tiK on February 15, 2013, 04:42:52 pm
You're probably thinking of the Tunguska Event (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event).
That's the one! Knew that date was wrong...
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Rabbit of Caerbannog on February 15, 2013, 04:48:52 pm
And this thing had the power of an atom bomb behind it. What the hell did Russia ever do to deserve all these random explosions?
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: ironbite on February 15, 2013, 05:01:22 pm
Be the biggest fucking country in the northern hemisphere?
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: MadCatTLX on February 15, 2013, 05:30:43 pm
You're probably thinking of the Tunguska Event (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event).

Tunguska was the first thing I thought of when I heard this story.

I remember seeing a special on the Science channel that suggested a Tunguska style meteor, but quite larger, was what really destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The meteor didn't even hit there, just debris from the meteor. The meteor itself supposedly landed in the alps somewhere, clipping the top of a mountain off in the process. They apparently tested the dirt layer from around that time and it showed something that would be characteristic of an air-burst meteor. There was also a clay tablet written by some astronomers in the Middle East on the same night it happened, and the tablet showed the meteor. Somehow using the tablet scientists used a computer model to show where the meteor would have come from, and if I remember right it originated in the solar system's asteroid belt. I wish I could find the show again, it was interesting, and I want to see what other info could be dug up to see if it had any truth to it, and wasn't some complete ancient aliens style bullshit.

Don't worry about the meteorite.  Worry about the "Attack Response" button.

The automatic Dead Hand system isn't used anymore from what some people with knowledge of it have said.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: KZN02 on February 15, 2013, 10:00:31 pm
I wonder what the fundies will think of this?
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Lucida Console on February 15, 2013, 10:13:46 pm
Quote
I wonder what the fundies will think of this?

That the women are wearing their sarafans too short or too low-cut.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Rabbit of Caerbannog on February 15, 2013, 11:06:07 pm
Quote
I wonder what the fundies will think of this?

That the women are wearing their sarafans too short or too low-cut.
Scapegoat the gays.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: kefkaownsall on February 15, 2013, 11:48:38 pm
Don't give Russia idesa
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: chitoryu12 on February 16, 2013, 12:17:50 am
I wonder what the fundies will think of this?

Well, the leader of a nationalist party in Russia (already notorious for inflammatory and highly ignorant statements) is claiming that it's an American weapon test.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: niam2023 on February 16, 2013, 01:35:07 am
Well, if this ended up a Mass Empowering Event, it'd suck.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Rabbit of Caerbannog on February 16, 2013, 01:40:26 am
I wonder what the fundies will think of this?

Well, the leader of a nationalist party in Russia (already notorious for inflammatory and highly ignorant statements) is claiming that it's an American weapon test.
Well he's clearly wrong on this. It was Saiyans.

(http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/499/649/65b.jpg)
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Søren on February 16, 2013, 02:01:09 am
I love all the footage from this. Its so cool to watch the bright flash of light as it bursts
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: SpaceProg on February 16, 2013, 02:05:45 am
I wonder what the fundies will think of this?

Well, the leader of a nationalist party in Russia (already notorious for inflammatory and highly ignorant statements) is claiming that it's an American weapon test.
Well he's clearly wrong on this. It was Saiyans.

(http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/499/649/65b.jpg)
Dang them Saiyans... Don't they know they're so ridiculously overpowered they can destroy the universe by farting?
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: StallChaser on February 16, 2013, 06:36:15 am
That's nothing.  Just wait till he goes super saiyan!
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: chitoryu12 on February 16, 2013, 05:38:13 pm
Getting some info from another site. I'll quote relevant posts and provide pictures here.

Possible impact location
(http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18eqlep1gituvjpg/xlarge.jpg)

Quote
It doesn't generate ionizing radiation, either.

It may rank in the kiloton, tens of kilotons, hundreds of kilotons, or more putting the energy release in the same league as a nuke, but it's not a nuke. I'm not conversant in all the ways the two would differ, but yeah, anything electromagnetic generated will be of a much shorter wavelength, and the "detonation" occurs very high in the atmosphere, which goes a long way to mitigating the energy that actually reaches structures and people.

It does demonstrate, however, that merely shockwave, that is, the sonic and kinetic energy transmitted through the atmosphere, will cause damage a considerable distance from the primary source of the energy.

Quote
:::scribbles notes furiously::: In the event of a massively bright flash in the sky, stay away from the windows!!!

(Really, it is a good rule of thumb. Also, stay away from windows when in the vicinity of a bomb threat or if you hear gunfire outside.)

Quote
I don't think it could be under the 500 ton [TNT] total energy level, it appears to have broken windows at several kilometer slant range perpendicular to its path, and a progressive breakup and multiple explosions would generate less reflected pressure then one solid blast. Once someone plots the damage we'll have a very good idea of just what it was like of course. It could well be several kilotons, though this seems unlikely unless more then the current single building with major structural collapse are found. Hopefully not, as that will make it very likely that people died.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Itachirumon on February 16, 2013, 07:21:21 pm
That's nothing.  Just wait till he goes super saiyan!
Don't give him any ideas! Last time I saw him go super saiyan I swear to God it sounded like either 1) He was constipated or 2) He had a kidney stone the size of my fist passing through him. If farting could blow up the world imagine what one of those two will do! Think of the world you bastard! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!

Okay, I'll stop now.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: KZN02 on February 16, 2013, 07:55:48 pm
I wonder what the fundies will think of this?

Well, the leader of a nationalist party in Russia (already notorious for inflammatory and highly ignorant statements) is claiming that it's an American weapon test.
Well he's clearly wrong on this. It was Saiyans.

(http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/499/649/65b.jpg)
Dang them Saiyans... Don't they know they're so ridiculously overpowered they can destroy the universe by farting?
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/28923_494475900587914_1555404758_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Rabbit of Caerbannog on February 17, 2013, 02:22:52 pm
(http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/500/641/b29.jpg)
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on February 17, 2013, 03:39:14 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDH29DNHdXs
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Vypernight on February 17, 2013, 04:30:37 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/meteorite-streaks-across-russian-urals_n_2691904.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/meteorite-streaks-across-russian-urals_n_2691904.html)

Quote
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a nationalist leader noted for his vehement statements, blamed the Americans.

"It's not meteors falling. It's the test of a new weapon by the Americans," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.

Yeah, we're going to spend billions of dollars on a weapon that causes minor cuts and scrapes.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Her3tiK on February 17, 2013, 11:07:03 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/meteorite-streaks-across-russian-urals_n_2691904.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/meteorite-streaks-across-russian-urals_n_2691904.html)

Quote
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a nationalist leader noted for his vehement statements, blamed the Americans.

"It's not meteors falling. It's the test of a new weapon by the Americans," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.

Yeah, we're going to spend billions of dollars on a weapon that causes minor cuts and scrapes.
Why not? Imagine how much it'd cost in medical care to treat that. You could bankrupt a country if you were effective enough.

Or be the worst troll in history.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Askold on February 18, 2013, 01:47:47 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/meteorite-streaks-across-russian-urals_n_2691904.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/meteorite-streaks-across-russian-urals_n_2691904.html)

Quote
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a nationalist leader noted for his vehement statements, blamed the Americans.

"It's not meteors falling. It's the test of a new weapon by the Americans," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.

Yeah, we're going to spend billions of dollars on a weapon that causes minor cuts and scrapes.

Don't you get it? He is implying that not only is USA evil, but it is also incompetent. Spending millions on some experimental new missile and then when it is finally time to test it on some random Russians it just goes *phut.*

And besides, seeing how much money USA is throwing at middle east occupations, your economical state, insane military spending not to mention how your laws and taxes prey on the weak and poor compared to the corporations and millionares you don't actually make a good argument about being fiscally smart.

I have no trouble believing that some smoky room deal would have your goverment paying millions to a contractor to make some experimental weapons that turn out to be useless.

Mind you that I do not believe that you would actually test it on civilians, so that argument fails in the second part, but weird missiles would be a rather more believable than all those other projects of yours that we DO know about.

Exoskeletons, swarming killer robots, OICW, Jumbo jet with a laser (and a nuclear power plant to power it) etc.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: chitoryu12 on February 18, 2013, 04:16:52 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/meteorite-streaks-across-russian-urals_n_2691904.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/meteorite-streaks-across-russian-urals_n_2691904.html)

Quote
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a nationalist leader noted for his vehement statements, blamed the Americans.

"It's not meteors falling. It's the test of a new weapon by the Americans," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.

Yeah, we're going to spend billions of dollars on a weapon that causes minor cuts and scrapes.

Don't you get it? He is implying that not only is USA evil, but it is also incompetent. Spending millions on some experimental new missile and then when it is finally time to test it on some random Russians it just goes *phut.*

And besides, seeing how much money USA is throwing at middle east occupations, your economical state, insane military spending not to mention how your laws and taxes prey on the weak and poor compared to the corporations and millionares you don't actually make a good argument about being fiscally smart.

I have no trouble believing that some smoky room deal would have your goverment paying millions to a contractor to make some experimental weapons that turn out to be useless.

Mind you that I do not believe that you would actually test it on civilians, so that argument fails in the second part, but weird missiles would be a rather more believable than all those other projects of yours that we DO know about.

Exoskeletons, swarming killer robots, OICW, Jumbo jet with a laser (and a nuclear power plant to power it) etc.

The thing is, most of the stuff you just mentioned there is pretty mundane. The OICW's only unique part is the idea of an airburst grenade launcher, and they simply combined it with a normal assault rifle to make the evolution of the underbarrel grenade launcher (and the grenade launcher part lives on in field testing as the XM25 "Punisher"). Exoskeletons are so common in sci-fi because they're very useful for increasing the lifting and carrying capacity of a single soldier and are a more practical alternative to mecha or full blown power armor. The idea of lasers being used to shoot down missiles or act as a precise ground strike weapon is perfectly sensible, but an aircraft the size of a 747 is necessary to fly it around the world to different targets.

A missile that just so happens to look and act exactly like a meteorite and only causes a lot of minor injuries, blown out windows, and a few collapsed roofs? All while either flying out of space or having ultra-stealth technology that makes it invisible to all sensors until just before landing while also having secret launch facilities that not a single soul detects launching anything? That's just silly.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Vypernight on February 18, 2013, 04:50:50 am
I'm pretty sure even Russia knows that if anything we Americans are good at, it's blowing **** up!
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Scotsgit on February 18, 2013, 02:31:00 pm
Quote
I wonder what the fundies will think of this?

That the women are wearing their sarafans too short or too low-cut.
Scapegoat the gays.

If it's the teabaggers, expect something about Russia being communist.  Or something.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Askold on February 19, 2013, 10:38:44 am
I just read that Vladimir Zhirinovski claimed that nothing falls from space naturally.

Seriously, he claims that it is impossible for something to "fall" from space unless it was caused by humans.

Quote
“You’re like some primitive tribe. What meteorite?” he said, arguing that space is a “universe that has its own laws.”

Zhirinovsky, more known for clownish political outrage rather than his actual political platform, added: “When something falls – it’s man-made. People are warmongers and provocateurs.”
http://rt.com/politics/zhirinovsky-meteorite-american-weapon-316/

The more I learn about him the stupider he sounds.
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 19, 2013, 01:58:46 pm
...

So is this guy the Russian equivalent of Glenn Beck?  Or Bill O'Reilly?
Title: Re: Meteorite explodes over Russia
Post by: Askold on February 19, 2013, 02:31:09 pm
...No.

This guy is not working for a TV channel, he is the head of a political party. If anything he is the equivalent of Herman Cain, Todd Akin or Sarah Palin or someone like that if they actually had their own party.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Zhirinovsky

He was one of the founders of the SECOND registered party in Soviet union in 1990, the Liberal democratic party.