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Near Earth Asteroids

I played around at the NASA site and discovered:
* With the orbit viewer I used earlier "The position of the small body is computed using so-called two-body equations: only the gravitational force of the Sun is considered in the viewer. "
* A 'Horizons' page does more detailed calculations
* Using the Horizons App, I asked for about 5000 days of results for 2024 YR4 and it responded in less than 2 seconds. (I suppose this means it accessed precomputed data. Could this still be less accurate than the software used for collision warnings?)

Three different output options are possible: Observer Table, Vector Table, Osculating Orbital Elements. (Below is shown Observer Table, with Observer on Earth).

Almost all of this was meaningless to me. I'm not sure how best to locate a near-approach from this data.
I did see that 'delta' became very small in December of 2024, 2028, 2032 and that 'RelVel-Ang' changed dramatically at about the same date. But these did not occur again, though I asked for data until 2041.

I'm attaching data for the recent near approach to 2024 YR4. The approach -- just like the mythical Star of Bethlehem!! -- was on Christmas Day 2024!

Code:
*******************************************************************************
Initial IAU76/J2000 heliocentric ecliptic osculating elements (au, days, deg.):
  EPOCH=  2460695.5 ! 2025-Jan-20.00 (TDB)         Residual RMS= .057989       
   EC= .6616164102004315   QR= .8515161099862746   TP= 2460636.9244826701      
   OM= 271.3679794495887   W=  134.3642503445431   IN= 3.408321749645021       
  Equivalent ICRF heliocentric cartesian coordinates (au, au/d):
   X=-5.932501620613568E-01  Y= 9.668449181317200E-01  Z= 3.822901210499166E-01
  VX=-1.937102285403371E-02 VY= 3.768670993505030E-07 VZ=-1.257688187524957E-03
Asteroid physical parameters (km, seconds, rotational period in hours):        
   GM= n.a.                RAD= n.a.               ROTPER= n.a.                
   H= 23.96                G= .150                 B-V= n.a.                   
                           ALBEDO= n.a.            STYP= n.a.                  
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 Date__(UT)__HR:MN     R.A._____(ICRF)_____DEC    APmag   S-brt             delta      deldot     S-O-T /r     S-T-O  Sky_motion  Sky_mot_PA  RelVel-ANG  Lun_Sky_Brt  sky_SNR
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
$$SOE
 2024-Nov-01 00:00     19 02 47.84 -15 33 08.1   25.034    n.a.  0.43889015279490 -11.9113116   66.7048 /T   87.0870   0.9464332   78.255300   -67.14314         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-02 00:00     19 04 20.38 -15 28 31.3   25.028    n.a.  0.43195130055931 -12.1133907   66.0919 /T   88.1168   0.9502921   78.087589   -67.72562         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-03 00:00     19 05 53.15 -15 23 49.6   25.023    n.a.  0.42489716436977 -12.3104077   65.4801 /T   89.1612   0.9529876   77.916268   -68.31750         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-04 00:00     19 07 26.03 -15 19 03.2   25.018    n.a.  0.41773078112157 -12.5019709   64.8688 /T   90.2201   0.9544738   77.741709   -68.91837         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-05 00:00     19 08 58.89 -15 14 12.5   25.013    n.a.  0.41045541626027 -12.6876809   64.2576 /T   91.2935   0.9547048   77.564325   -69.52781         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-06 00:00     19 10 31.61 -15 09 17.6   25.010    n.a.  0.40307456773947 -12.8671324   63.6460 /T   92.3817   0.9536348   77.384594   -70.14534         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-07 00:00     19 12 04.07 -15 04 19.1   25.007    n.a.  0.39559196892918 -13.0399159   63.0335 /T   93.4845   0.9512190   77.203063   -70.77046         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-08 00:00     19 13 36.12 -14 59 17.3   25.004    n.a.  0.38801159045521 -13.2056199   62.4196 /T   94.6019   0.9474143   77.020376   -71.40259         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-09 00:00     19 15 07.63 -14 54 12.7   25.003    n.a.  0.38033764094865 -13.3638324   61.8037 /T   95.7339   0.9421810   76.837292   -72.04110         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-10 00:00     19 16 38.45 -14 49 05.8   25.002    n.a.  0.37257456629759 -13.5141446   61.1852 /T   96.8803   0.9354847   76.654716   -72.68523         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-11 00:00     19 18 08.46 -14 43 57.2   25.002    n.a.  0.36472704607797 -13.6561578   60.5637 /T   98.0412   0.9272988   76.473727   -73.33411         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-12 00:00     19 19 37.50 -14 38 47.4   25.003    n.a.  0.35679998447519 -13.7894958   59.9384 /T   99.2163   0.9176086   76.295597   -73.98670         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-13 00:00     19 21 05.44 -14 33 37.3   25.005    n.a.  0.34879849171700 -13.9138254   59.3088 /T  100.4054   0.9064139   76.121785   -74.64179         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-14 00:00     19 22 32.12 -14 28 27.4   25.008    n.a.  0.34072785191818 -14.0288825   58.6744 /T  101.6083   0.8937307   75.953892   -75.29801         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-15 00:00     19 23 57.42 -14 23 18.6   25.013    n.a.  0.33259347555049 -14.1344974   58.0345 /T  102.8247   0.8795892   75.793598   -75.95393         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-16 00:00     19 25 21.20 -14 18 11.7   25.018    n.a.  0.32440083969878 -14.2306103   57.3885 /T  104.0544   0.8640279   75.642589   -76.60813         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-17 00:00     19 26 43.34 -14 13 07.4   25.025    n.a.  0.31615542475318 -14.3172674   56.7359 /T  105.2970   0.8470850   75.502525   -77.25934         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-18 00:00     19 28 03.71 -14 08 06.7   25.032    n.a.  0.30786265853623 -14.3945998   56.0761 /T  106.5520   0.8287912   75.375075   -77.90651         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-19 00:00     19 29 22.18 -14 03 10.3   25.041    n.a.  0.29952787590332 -14.4627932   55.4085 /T  107.8190   0.8091645   75.262040   -78.54879         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-20 00:00     19 30 38.65 -13 58 19.3   25.052    n.a.  0.29115629535310 -14.5220611   54.7328 /T  109.0976   0.7882099   75.165506   -79.18551         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-21 00:00     19 31 52.99 -13 53 34.5   25.064    n.a.  0.28275300832539 -14.5726284   54.0482 /T  110.3873   0.7659212   75.088040   -79.81613         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-22 00:00     19 33 05.09 -13 48 56.8   25.077    n.a.  0.27432297450467 -14.6147263   53.3544 /T  111.6876   0.7422842   75.032885   -80.44012         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-23 00:00     19 34 14.83 -13 44 27.4   25.092    n.a.  0.26587101743276 -14.6485958   52.6507 /T  112.9979   0.7172790   75.004178   -81.05699         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-24 00:00     19 35 22.09 -13 40 07.2   25.108    n.a.  0.25740181721426 -14.6744938   51.9367 /T  114.3179   0.6908808   75.007228   -81.66623         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-25 00:00     19 36 26.75 -13 35 57.4   25.126    n.a.  0.24891989943747 -14.6926993   51.2118 /T  115.6471   0.6630592   75.048879   -82.26732         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-26 00:00     19 37 28.68 -13 31 59.1   25.145    n.a.  0.24042962096106 -14.7035180   50.4754 /T  116.9850   0.6337764   75.138035   -82.85973         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-27 00:00     19 38 27.76 -13 28 13.6   25.166    n.a.  0.23193515396295 -14.7072837   49.7269 /T  118.3313   0.6029839   75.286455   -83.44298         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-28 00:00     19 39 23.85 -13 24 42.3   25.189    n.a.  0.22344046987716 -14.7043571   48.9659 /T  119.6854   0.5706186   75.509958   -84.01661         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-29 00:00     19 40 16.82 -13 21 26.5      25.    n.a.  0.21494932478587 -14.6951223   48.1915 /T  121.0472   0.5365976   75.830337   -84.58021         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-30 00:00     19 41 06.53 -13 18 27.8      25.    n.a.  0.20646524758910 -14.6799808   47.4033 /T  122.4164   0.5008143   76.278482   -85.13345         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-01 00:00     19 41 52.82 -13 15 48.1      25.    n.a.  0.19799153188013 -14.6593446   46.6003 /T  123.7927   0.4631337   76.899660   -85.67603         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-02 00:00     19 42 35.50 -13 13 29.1      25.    n.a.  0.18953123192031 -14.6336292   45.7819 /T  125.1762   0.4233911   77.762893   -86.20768         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-03 00:00     19 43 14.40 -13 11 33.0      25.    n.a.  0.18108716250101 -14.6032473   44.9471 /T  126.5670   0.3813955   78.978556   -86.72802         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-04 00:00     19 43 49.29 -13 10 02.4      25.    n.a.  0.17266190193330 -14.5686044   44.0949 /T  127.9651   0.3369481   80.733778   -87.23640         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-05 00:00     19 44 19.91 -13 08 59.9      25.    n.a.  0.16425779707674 -14.5300961   43.2240 /T  129.3712   0.2898983   83.370129   -87.73146         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-06 00:00     19 44 45.97 -13 08 29.0      25.    n.a.  0.15587696929650 -14.4881076   42.3332 /T  130.7859   0.2403116   87.572905   -88.20991         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-07 00:00     19 45 07.13 -13 08 33.6      25.    n.a.  0.14752132046773 -14.4430137   41.4206 /T  132.2101   0.1890169   94.889966   -88.66313         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-08 00:00     19 45 22.95 -13 09 18.4      25.    n.a.  0.13919253842599 -14.3951811   40.4842 /T  133.6454   0.1396418   109.24646   -89.06492         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-09 00:00     19 45 32.91 -13 10 49.1      26.    n.a.  0.13089210137524 -14.3449695   39.5216 /T  135.0936   0.1063096   139.14632   -89.32820         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-10 00:00     19 45 36.38 -13 13 13.1      26.    n.a.  0.12262128064201 -14.2927362   38.5295 /T  136.5572   0.1203634   180.00259   -89.28485         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-11 00:00     19 45 32.55 -13 16 39.2      26.    n.a.  0.11438114107672 -14.2388397   37.5041 /T  138.0398   0.1849998   205.19879   -88.97086         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-12 00:00     19 45 20.38 -13 21 19.1      26.    n.a.  0.10617253901074 -14.1836438   36.4402 /T  139.5460   0.2805602   217.16200   -88.54578         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-13 00:00     19 44 58.49 -13 27 27.8      26.    n.a.  0.09799611989029 -14.1275135   35.3312 /T  141.0820   0.4017598   223.40326   -88.07062         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-14 00:00     19 44 25.03 -13 35 25.8      26.    n.a.  0.08985232225794 -14.0707949   34.1679 /T  142.6565   0.5525259   227.02982   -87.55785         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-15 00:00     19 43 37.45 -13 45 40.8      26.    n.a.  0.08174140178760 -14.0137634   32.9378 /T  144.2816   0.7425527   229.30058   -87.00297         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-16 00:00     19 42 32.06 -13 58 52.4      26.    n.a.  0.07366349867414 -13.9565215   31.6231 /T  145.9750   0.9884898   230.79704   -86.39134         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-17 00:00     19 41 03.37 -14 15 58.8      26.    n.a.  0.06561878639715 -13.8988109   30.1970 /T  147.7631   1.3183358   231.82428   -85.69738         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-18 00:00     19 39 02.81 -14 38 29.4      26.    n.a.  0.05760777050674 -13.8396611   28.6185 /T  149.6867   1.7809507   232.56272   -84.87937         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-19 00:00     19 36 16.21 -15 08 49.0      26.    n.a.  0.04963188448266 -13.7766564   26.8201 /T  151.8132   2.4670440   233.13479   -83.86794         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-20 00:00     19 32 18.43 -15 51 08.8      26.    n.a.  0.04169474990405 -13.7041993   24.6836 /T  154.2605   3.5599088   233.64232   -82.54102         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-21 00:00     19 26 20.33 -16 53 24.2      27.    n.a.  0.03380515289861 -13.6087167   21.9832 /T  157.2542   5.4750044   234.20208   -80.66402         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-22 00:00     19 16 31.79 -18 32 27.8      27.    n.a.  0.02598529673598 -13.4526565   18.2309 /T  161.2821   9.3186485   235.01798   -77.72461         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-23 00:00     18 57 47.94 -21 30 47.3      30.    n.a.  0.01829964959795 -13.1043898   12.1930 /T  167.5764   18.829537   236.64732   -72.36697         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-24 00:00     18 09 57.04 -27 59 14.6      42.    n.a.  0.01100016802592 -11.8683491    4.5717 /L  175.3771   52.115390   241.67392   -59.71887         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-25 00:00     14 42 37.18 -38 50 35.1      19.    n.a.  0.00575801537682  -3.7465923   47.1986 /L  132.5555   190.09506   271.80504   -15.80707         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-26 00:00     10 07 08.82 -14 03 06.4   15.913    n.a.  0.00843316417841  10.3502870  112.8331 /L   66.7167   88.625945   306.70026   48.882553         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-27 00:00     09 03 38.72 -01 46 56.3   16.615    n.a.  0.01532164109864  12.7980240  133.6345 /L   45.7275   26.897465   308.92902   68.731330         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-28 00:00     08 41 06.45 +02 45 07.9   17.271    n.a.  0.02289446567090  13.3270922  141.7767 /L   37.4141   12.099584   308.86736   75.895867         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-29 00:00     08 29 44.81 +05 01 07.9   17.789    n.a.  0.03065533088115  13.5257874  146.3242 /L   32.7118   6.8009762   308.64810   79.445428         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-30 00:00     08 22 53.43 +06 22 21.3   18.208    n.a.  0.03849989988518  13.6337280  149.4215 /L   29.4760   4.3619310   308.44780   81.531208         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-31 00:00     08 18 16.64 +07 16 31.4   18.557    n.a.  0.04639645314824  13.7109697  151.7964 /L   26.9785   3.0509129   308.28802   82.886508         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-01 00:00     08 14 56.29 +07 55 28.1   18.855    n.a.  0.05433407527075  13.7779015  153.7593 /L   24.9086   2.2691968   308.17492   83.826216         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-02 00:00     08 12 23.41 +08 25 02.9   19.115    n.a.  0.06230954795476  13.8428814  155.4636 /L   23.1125   1.7672009   308.11516   84.507678         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-03 00:00     08 10 22.02 +08 48 29.1   19.345    n.a.  0.07032299219339  13.9097760  156.9930 /L   21.5061   1.4263227   308.11668   85.018347         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-04 00:00     08 08 42.58 +09 07 41.2   19.551    n.a.  0.07837613059137  13.9805126  158.3964 /L   20.0399   1.1844921   308.18750   85.410796         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-05 00:00     08 07 19.09 +09 23 51.5   19.738    n.a.  0.08647150098570  14.0560928  159.7039 /L   18.6834   1.0067366   308.33470   85.718566         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-06 00:00     08 06 07.57 +09 37 47.5   19.909    n.a.  0.09461206876726  14.1370459  160.9341 /L   17.4171   0.8721703   308.56387   85.964064         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-07 00:00     08 05 05.31 +09 50 02.0   20.066    n.a.  0.10280102607491  14.2236536  162.0989 /L   16.2284   0.7677183   308.87909   86.162818         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-08 00:00     08 04 10.38 +10 00 58.1   20.212    n.a.  0.11104168656915  14.3160691  163.2053 /L   15.1095   0.6848703   309.28320   86.325918         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-09 00:00     08 03 21.38 +10 10 52.3   20.348    n.a.  0.11933743244786  14.4143846  164.2568 /L   14.0558   0.6178998   309.77830   86.461494         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-10 00:00     08 02 37.28 +10 19 57.2   20.477    n.a.  0.12769169122530  14.5186693  165.2542 /L   13.0653   0.5628407   310.36633   86.575654         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-11 00:00     08 01 57.31 +10 28 22.2   20.598    n.a.  0.13610792922179  14.6289904  166.1959 /L   12.1380   0.5168725   311.04978   86.673114         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-12 00:00     08 01 20.86 +10 36 14.4   20.713    n.a.  0.14458965287551  14.7454198  167.0782 /L   11.2760   0.4779401   311.83232   86.757624         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-13 00:00     08 00 47.48 +10 43 39
 
How long until Russia starts lobbing asteroids at the U.S.?
 
How long until Russia starts lobbing asteroids at the U.S.?

No need to ask Putin for help. The U.S. is already attacking itself. GPS is making us dependent on orbiting satellites; and these are coming under increasing threat from the  Kessler syndrome: space debris makes stable orbits increasingly difficult. The Dear Leader of SpaceX rejoiced -- "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" -- at one of his recent explosions which exacerbated the problem of space debris.

The Kessler syndrome has been proposed as a solution to the Fermi Paradox:
Wikipedia said:
Some astronomers have hypothesized Kessler syndrome as a possible or likely solution to the Fermi paradox, the lack of any sign of alien life in the universe. Any intelligent civilization which becomes spacefaring could eventually extinguish any safe orbits via Kessler syndrome, trapping itself within its home planet. Such a result could happen even with robust space pollution controls, as a lone malicious actor on a planet could cause a Kessler syndrome scenario. Humanity could be on the path to a similar fate, soon to trap itself on Earth with no future as a spacefaring civilization. Some exoplanet researchers have attempted to survey other planets for signs of a Kessler syndrome cascade as a sign of intelligent life.
 
I played around at the NASA site and discovered:
* With the orbit viewer I used earlier "The position of the small body is computed using so-called two-body equations: only the gravitational force of the Sun is considered in the viewer. "
* A 'Horizons' page does more detailed calculations
* Using the Horizons App, I asked for about 5000 days of results for 2024 YR4 and it responded in less than 2 seconds. (I suppose this means it accessed precomputed data. Could this still be less accurate than the software used for collision warnings?)

Three different output options are possible: Observer Table, Vector Table, Osculating Orbital Elements. (Below is shown Observer Table, with Observer on Earth).

Almost all of this was meaningless to me. I'm not sure how best to locate a near-approach from this data.
I did see that 'delta' became very small in December of 2024, 2028, 2032 and that 'RelVel-Ang' changed dramatically at about the same date. But these did not occur again, though I asked for data until 2041.

I'm attaching data for the recent near approach to 2024 YR4. The approach -- just like the mythical Star of Bethlehem!! -- was on Christmas Day 2024!

Code:
*******************************************************************************
Initial IAU76/J2000 heliocentric ecliptic osculating elements (au, days, deg.):
  EPOCH=  2460695.5 ! 2025-Jan-20.00 (TDB)         Residual RMS= .057989       
   EC= .6616164102004315   QR= .8515161099862746   TP= 2460636.9244826701      
   OM= 271.3679794495887   W=  134.3642503445431   IN= 3.408321749645021       
  Equivalent ICRF heliocentric cartesian coordinates (au, au/d):
   X=-5.932501620613568E-01  Y= 9.668449181317200E-01  Z= 3.822901210499166E-01
  VX=-1.937102285403371E-02 VY= 3.768670993505030E-07 VZ=-1.257688187524957E-03
Asteroid physical parameters (km, seconds, rotational period in hours):        
   GM= n.a.                RAD= n.a.               ROTPER= n.a.                
   H= 23.96                G= .150                 B-V= n.a.                   
                           ALBEDO= n.a.            STYP= n.a.                  
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 Date__(UT)__HR:MN     R.A._____(ICRF)_____DEC    APmag   S-brt             delta      deldot     S-O-T /r     S-T-O  Sky_motion  Sky_mot_PA  RelVel-ANG  Lun_Sky_Brt  sky_SNR
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
$$SOE
 2024-Nov-01 00:00     19 02 47.84 -15 33 08.1   25.034    n.a.  0.43889015279490 -11.9113116   66.7048 /T   87.0870   0.9464332   78.255300   -67.14314         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-02 00:00     19 04 20.38 -15 28 31.3   25.028    n.a.  0.43195130055931 -12.1133907   66.0919 /T   88.1168   0.9502921   78.087589   -67.72562         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-03 00:00     19 05 53.15 -15 23 49.6   25.023    n.a.  0.42489716436977 -12.3104077   65.4801 /T   89.1612   0.9529876   77.916268   -68.31750         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-04 00:00     19 07 26.03 -15 19 03.2   25.018    n.a.  0.41773078112157 -12.5019709   64.8688 /T   90.2201   0.9544738   77.741709   -68.91837         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-05 00:00     19 08 58.89 -15 14 12.5   25.013    n.a.  0.41045541626027 -12.6876809   64.2576 /T   91.2935   0.9547048   77.564325   -69.52781         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-06 00:00     19 10 31.61 -15 09 17.6   25.010    n.a.  0.40307456773947 -12.8671324   63.6460 /T   92.3817   0.9536348   77.384594   -70.14534         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-07 00:00     19 12 04.07 -15 04 19.1   25.007    n.a.  0.39559196892918 -13.0399159   63.0335 /T   93.4845   0.9512190   77.203063   -70.77046         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-08 00:00     19 13 36.12 -14 59 17.3   25.004    n.a.  0.38801159045521 -13.2056199   62.4196 /T   94.6019   0.9474143   77.020376   -71.40259         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-09 00:00     19 15 07.63 -14 54 12.7   25.003    n.a.  0.38033764094865 -13.3638324   61.8037 /T   95.7339   0.9421810   76.837292   -72.04110         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-10 00:00     19 16 38.45 -14 49 05.8   25.002    n.a.  0.37257456629759 -13.5141446   61.1852 /T   96.8803   0.9354847   76.654716   -72.68523         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-11 00:00     19 18 08.46 -14 43 57.2   25.002    n.a.  0.36472704607797 -13.6561578   60.5637 /T   98.0412   0.9272988   76.473727   -73.33411         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-12 00:00     19 19 37.50 -14 38 47.4   25.003    n.a.  0.35679998447519 -13.7894958   59.9384 /T   99.2163   0.9176086   76.295597   -73.98670         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-13 00:00     19 21 05.44 -14 33 37.3   25.005    n.a.  0.34879849171700 -13.9138254   59.3088 /T  100.4054   0.9064139   76.121785   -74.64179         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-14 00:00     19 22 32.12 -14 28 27.4   25.008    n.a.  0.34072785191818 -14.0288825   58.6744 /T  101.6083   0.8937307   75.953892   -75.29801         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-15 00:00     19 23 57.42 -14 23 18.6   25.013    n.a.  0.33259347555049 -14.1344974   58.0345 /T  102.8247   0.8795892   75.793598   -75.95393         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-16 00:00     19 25 21.20 -14 18 11.7   25.018    n.a.  0.32440083969878 -14.2306103   57.3885 /T  104.0544   0.8640279   75.642589   -76.60813         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-17 00:00     19 26 43.34 -14 13 07.4   25.025    n.a.  0.31615542475318 -14.3172674   56.7359 /T  105.2970   0.8470850   75.502525   -77.25934         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-18 00:00     19 28 03.71 -14 08 06.7   25.032    n.a.  0.30786265853623 -14.3945998   56.0761 /T  106.5520   0.8287912   75.375075   -77.90651         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-19 00:00     19 29 22.18 -14 03 10.3   25.041    n.a.  0.29952787590332 -14.4627932   55.4085 /T  107.8190   0.8091645   75.262040   -78.54879         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-20 00:00     19 30 38.65 -13 58 19.3   25.052    n.a.  0.29115629535310 -14.5220611   54.7328 /T  109.0976   0.7882099   75.165506   -79.18551         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-21 00:00     19 31 52.99 -13 53 34.5   25.064    n.a.  0.28275300832539 -14.5726284   54.0482 /T  110.3873   0.7659212   75.088040   -79.81613         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-22 00:00     19 33 05.09 -13 48 56.8   25.077    n.a.  0.27432297450467 -14.6147263   53.3544 /T  111.6876   0.7422842   75.032885   -80.44012         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-23 00:00     19 34 14.83 -13 44 27.4   25.092    n.a.  0.26587101743276 -14.6485958   52.6507 /T  112.9979   0.7172790   75.004178   -81.05699         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-24 00:00     19 35 22.09 -13 40 07.2   25.108    n.a.  0.25740181721426 -14.6744938   51.9367 /T  114.3179   0.6908808   75.007228   -81.66623         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-25 00:00     19 36 26.75 -13 35 57.4   25.126    n.a.  0.24891989943747 -14.6926993   51.2118 /T  115.6471   0.6630592   75.048879   -82.26732         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-26 00:00     19 37 28.68 -13 31 59.1   25.145    n.a.  0.24042962096106 -14.7035180   50.4754 /T  116.9850   0.6337764   75.138035   -82.85973         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-27 00:00     19 38 27.76 -13 28 13.6   25.166    n.a.  0.23193515396295 -14.7072837   49.7269 /T  118.3313   0.6029839   75.286455   -83.44298         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-28 00:00     19 39 23.85 -13 24 42.3   25.189    n.a.  0.22344046987716 -14.7043571   48.9659 /T  119.6854   0.5706186   75.509958   -84.01661         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-29 00:00     19 40 16.82 -13 21 26.5      25.    n.a.  0.21494932478587 -14.6951223   48.1915 /T  121.0472   0.5365976   75.830337   -84.58021         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Nov-30 00:00     19 41 06.53 -13 18 27.8      25.    n.a.  0.20646524758910 -14.6799808   47.4033 /T  122.4164   0.5008143   76.278482   -85.13345         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-01 00:00     19 41 52.82 -13 15 48.1      25.    n.a.  0.19799153188013 -14.6593446   46.6003 /T  123.7927   0.4631337   76.899660   -85.67603         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-02 00:00     19 42 35.50 -13 13 29.1      25.    n.a.  0.18953123192031 -14.6336292   45.7819 /T  125.1762   0.4233911   77.762893   -86.20768         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-03 00:00     19 43 14.40 -13 11 33.0      25.    n.a.  0.18108716250101 -14.6032473   44.9471 /T  126.5670   0.3813955   78.978556   -86.72802         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-04 00:00     19 43 49.29 -13 10 02.4      25.    n.a.  0.17266190193330 -14.5686044   44.0949 /T  127.9651   0.3369481   80.733778   -87.23640         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-05 00:00     19 44 19.91 -13 08 59.9      25.    n.a.  0.16425779707674 -14.5300961   43.2240 /T  129.3712   0.2898983   83.370129   -87.73146         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-06 00:00     19 44 45.97 -13 08 29.0      25.    n.a.  0.15587696929650 -14.4881076   42.3332 /T  130.7859   0.2403116   87.572905   -88.20991         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-07 00:00     19 45 07.13 -13 08 33.6      25.    n.a.  0.14752132046773 -14.4430137   41.4206 /T  132.2101   0.1890169   94.889966   -88.66313         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-08 00:00     19 45 22.95 -13 09 18.4      25.    n.a.  0.13919253842599 -14.3951811   40.4842 /T  133.6454   0.1396418   109.24646   -89.06492         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-09 00:00     19 45 32.91 -13 10 49.1      26.    n.a.  0.13089210137524 -14.3449695   39.5216 /T  135.0936   0.1063096   139.14632   -89.32820         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-10 00:00     19 45 36.38 -13 13 13.1      26.    n.a.  0.12262128064201 -14.2927362   38.5295 /T  136.5572   0.1203634   180.00259   -89.28485         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-11 00:00     19 45 32.55 -13 16 39.2      26.    n.a.  0.11438114107672 -14.2388397   37.5041 /T  138.0398   0.1849998   205.19879   -88.97086         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-12 00:00     19 45 20.38 -13 21 19.1      26.    n.a.  0.10617253901074 -14.1836438   36.4402 /T  139.5460   0.2805602   217.16200   -88.54578         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-13 00:00     19 44 58.49 -13 27 27.8      26.    n.a.  0.09799611989029 -14.1275135   35.3312 /T  141.0820   0.4017598   223.40326   -88.07062         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-14 00:00     19 44 25.03 -13 35 25.8      26.    n.a.  0.08985232225794 -14.0707949   34.1679 /T  142.6565   0.5525259   227.02982   -87.55785         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-15 00:00     19 43 37.45 -13 45 40.8      26.    n.a.  0.08174140178760 -14.0137634   32.9378 /T  144.2816   0.7425527   229.30058   -87.00297         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-16 00:00     19 42 32.06 -13 58 52.4      26.    n.a.  0.07366349867414 -13.9565215   31.6231 /T  145.9750   0.9884898   230.79704   -86.39134         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-17 00:00     19 41 03.37 -14 15 58.8      26.    n.a.  0.06561878639715 -13.8988109   30.1970 /T  147.7631   1.3183358   231.82428   -85.69738         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-18 00:00     19 39 02.81 -14 38 29.4      26.    n.a.  0.05760777050674 -13.8396611   28.6185 /T  149.6867   1.7809507   232.56272   -84.87937         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-19 00:00     19 36 16.21 -15 08 49.0      26.    n.a.  0.04963188448266 -13.7766564   26.8201 /T  151.8132   2.4670440   233.13479   -83.86794         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-20 00:00     19 32 18.43 -15 51 08.8      26.    n.a.  0.04169474990405 -13.7041993   24.6836 /T  154.2605   3.5599088   233.64232   -82.54102         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-21 00:00     19 26 20.33 -16 53 24.2      27.    n.a.  0.03380515289861 -13.6087167   21.9832 /T  157.2542   5.4750044   234.20208   -80.66402         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-22 00:00     19 16 31.79 -18 32 27.8      27.    n.a.  0.02598529673598 -13.4526565   18.2309 /T  161.2821   9.3186485   235.01798   -77.72461         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-23 00:00     18 57 47.94 -21 30 47.3      30.    n.a.  0.01829964959795 -13.1043898   12.1930 /T  167.5764   18.829537   236.64732   -72.36697         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-24 00:00     18 09 57.04 -27 59 14.6      42.    n.a.  0.01100016802592 -11.8683491    4.5717 /L  175.3771   52.115390   241.67392   -59.71887         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-25 00:00     14 42 37.18 -38 50 35.1      19.    n.a.  0.00575801537682  -3.7465923   47.1986 /L  132.5555   190.09506   271.80504   -15.80707         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-26 00:00     10 07 08.82 -14 03 06.4   15.913    n.a.  0.00843316417841  10.3502870  112.8331 /L   66.7167   88.625945   306.70026   48.882553         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-27 00:00     09 03 38.72 -01 46 56.3   16.615    n.a.  0.01532164109864  12.7980240  133.6345 /L   45.7275   26.897465   308.92902   68.731330         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-28 00:00     08 41 06.45 +02 45 07.9   17.271    n.a.  0.02289446567090  13.3270922  141.7767 /L   37.4141   12.099584   308.86736   75.895867         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-29 00:00     08 29 44.81 +05 01 07.9   17.789    n.a.  0.03065533088115  13.5257874  146.3242 /L   32.7118   6.8009762   308.64810   79.445428         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-30 00:00     08 22 53.43 +06 22 21.3   18.208    n.a.  0.03849989988518  13.6337280  149.4215 /L   29.4760   4.3619310   308.44780   81.531208         n.a.     n.a.
 2024-Dec-31 00:00     08 18 16.64 +07 16 31.4   18.557    n.a.  0.04639645314824  13.7109697  151.7964 /L   26.9785   3.0509129   308.28802   82.886508         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-01 00:00     08 14 56.29 +07 55 28.1   18.855    n.a.  0.05433407527075  13.7779015  153.7593 /L   24.9086   2.2691968   308.17492   83.826216         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-02 00:00     08 12 23.41 +08 25 02.9   19.115    n.a.  0.06230954795476  13.8428814  155.4636 /L   23.1125   1.7672009   308.11516   84.507678         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-03 00:00     08 10 22.02 +08 48 29.1   19.345    n.a.  0.07032299219339  13.9097760  156.9930 /L   21.5061   1.4263227   308.11668   85.018347         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-04 00:00     08 08 42.58 +09 07 41.2   19.551    n.a.  0.07837613059137  13.9805126  158.3964 /L   20.0399   1.1844921   308.18750   85.410796         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-05 00:00     08 07 19.09 +09 23 51.5   19.738    n.a.  0.08647150098570  14.0560928  159.7039 /L   18.6834   1.0067366   308.33470   85.718566         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-06 00:00     08 06 07.57 +09 37 47.5   19.909    n.a.  0.09461206876726  14.1370459  160.9341 /L   17.4171   0.8721703   308.56387   85.964064         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-07 00:00     08 05 05.31 +09 50 02.0   20.066    n.a.  0.10280102607491  14.2236536  162.0989 /L   16.2284   0.7677183   308.87909   86.162818         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-08 00:00     08 04 10.38 +10 00 58.1   20.212    n.a.  0.11104168656915  14.3160691  163.2053 /L   15.1095   0.6848703   309.28320   86.325918         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-09 00:00     08 03 21.38 +10 10 52.3   20.348    n.a.  0.11933743244786  14.4143846  164.2568 /L   14.0558   0.6178998   309.77830   86.461494         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-10 00:00     08 02 37.28 +10 19 57.2   20.477    n.a.  0.12769169122530  14.5186693  165.2542 /L   13.0653   0.5628407   310.36633   86.575654         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-11 00:00     08 01 57.31 +10 28 22.2   20.598    n.a.  0.13610792922179  14.6289904  166.1959 /L   12.1380   0.5168725   311.04978   86.673114         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-12 00:00     08 01 20.86 +10 36 14.4   20.713    n.a.  0.14458965287551  14.7454198  167.0782 /L   11.2760   0.4779401   311.83232   86.757624         n.a.     n.a.
 2025-Jan-13 00:00     08 00 47.48 +10 43 39
Yeah, I'm sure it's pre-calculated. The real models are very compute intensive: they run many, many simulations based on random values within the error margin of the measurements. A 1% impact chance means that 1% of those simulations results in an impact.
 
How long until Russia starts lobbing asteroids at the U.S.?

No need to ask Putin for help. The U.S. is already attacking itself. GPS is making us dependent on orbiting satellites; and these are coming under increasing threat from the  Kessler syndrome: space debris makes stable orbits increasingly difficult. The Dear Leader of SpaceX rejoiced -- "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" -- at one of his recent explosions which exacerbated the problem of space debris.


None of his recent debris was in orbit though. Just over the Caribbean islands, so no exacerbation there. He has yet to put the starship into orbit.
 
How long until Russia starts lobbing asteroids at the U.S.?

No need to ask Putin for help. The U.S. is already attacking itself. GPS is making us dependent on orbiting satellites; and these are coming under increasing threat from the  Kessler syndrome: space debris makes stable orbits increasingly difficult. The Dear Leader of SpaceX rejoiced -- "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" -- at one of his recent explosions which exacerbated the problem of space debris.


None of his recent debris was in orbit though. Just over the Caribbean islands, so no exacerbation there. He has yet to put the starship into orbit.
The trouble is, Musk is a fucking moron who thinks rocket science is like compiling software, and errors just happen, you learn from them. But after a while the breaking eggs thing does step up to the plate where a Kessler thing can occur. I wish he could just stay focused on having SpaceX provide viable services, instead of this Mars wet dream.
 
How long until Russia starts lobbing asteroids at the U.S.?

No need to ask Putin for help. The U.S. is already attacking itself. GPS is making us dependent on orbiting satellites; and these are coming under increasing threat from the  Kessler syndrome: space debris makes stable orbits increasingly difficult. The Dear Leader of SpaceX rejoiced -- "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" -- at one of his recent explosions which exacerbated the problem of space debris.


None of his recent debris was in orbit though. Just over the Caribbean islands, so no exacerbation there. He has yet to put the starship into orbit.
The trouble is, Musk is a fucking moron who thinks rocket science is like compiling software, and errors just happen, you learn from them. But after a while the breaking eggs thing does step up to the plate where a Kessler thing can occur. I wish he could just stay focused on having SpaceX provide viable services, instead of this Mars wet dream.
Based on my understanding of how Starship works in the context of the Artemis mission profile, it does not appear that its design had any deeper thought than “build giant 50s-looking rocket”.

It has yet to be proven feasible as even an orbital rocket let alone an interplanetary one. Perhaps it will get there but it is a long, long way off. And if Musk pisses away any potential political capital he may have had prior to his maniacal government actions it becomes less likely that he will ever get to Mars.
 
(CNN —

Asteroid 2024 YR4, deemed the riskiest asteroid on record last week, now has nearly a zero percent chance of impacting Earth in 2032, according to NASA and the European Space Agency.


NASA estimates that the space rock has a 0.0017% chance of hitting Earth in December 2032, while the ESA has a similar risk assessment of 0.002%.

I'm glad that the European Space Agency agrees. No knowing what to trust that comes out of the US Government these days.

 
Based on my understanding of how Starship works in the context of the Artemis mission profile, it does not appear that its design had any deeper thought than “build giant 50s-looking rocket”.

It has yet to be proven feasible as even an orbital rocket let alone an interplanetary one. Perhaps it will get there but it is a long, long way off. And if Musk pisses away any potential political capital he may have had prior to his maniacal government actions it becomes less likely that he will ever get to Mars.
In most regards the current system outperforms the SLS. Obviously they need to get the kinks out but other than that the SLS is ahead only in having hydrolox engines rather than metholox which becomes of increasing importance as you intend to head farther from Earth.
 
Based on my understanding of how Starship works in the context of the Artemis mission profile, it does not appear that its design had any deeper thought than “build giant 50s-looking rocket”.

It has yet to be proven feasible as even an orbital rocket let alone an interplanetary one. Perhaps it will get there but it is a long, long way off. And if Musk pisses away any potential political capital he may have had prior to his maniacal government actions it becomes less likely that he will ever get to Mars.
In most regards the current system outperforms the SLS. Obviously they need to get the kinks out but other than that the SLS is ahead only in having hydrolox engines rather than metholox which becomes of increasing importance as you intend to head farther from Earth.
The “current” system hasn’t even gotten to orbit. Maybe it has the promise of “outperforming” the SLS by some metric you didn’t specify.

But as I understand it, the Artemis mission will require over a dozen starship launches because of all the refueling that will be needed.
 
I wish he could just stay focused on having SpaceX provide viable services, instead of this Mars wet dream.
But if he hadn't been focused on his Mars wet dream he probably wouldn't have created SpaceX in the first place. It's kind of like wishing NASA would stay focused on high-payoff science missions like the JWT instead of their minimal-science-ROI manned mission wet dream. You can't get the spinoffs unless you keep the people who'll do it motivated.
 
Based on my understanding of how Starship works in the context of the Artemis mission profile, it does not appear that its design had any deeper thought than “build giant 50s-looking rocket”.

It has yet to be proven feasible as even an orbital rocket let alone an interplanetary one. Perhaps it will get there but it is a long, long way off. And if Musk pisses away any potential political capital he may have had prior to his maniacal government actions it becomes less likely that he will ever get to Mars.
In most regards the current system outperforms the SLS. Obviously they need to get the kinks out but other than that the SLS is ahead only in having hydrolox engines rather than metholox which becomes of increasing importance as you intend to head farther from Earth.
The “current” system hasn’t even gotten to orbit. Maybe it has the promise of “outperforming” the SLS by some metric you didn’t specify.

But as I understand it, the Artemis mission will require over a dozen starship launches because of all the refueling that will be needed.
It's gone to orbit for all practical purposes. They have deliberately kept the periapsis too low for it to stay up there but the additional burn to actually reach orbit it very low. To be a reasonable test it must hit at basically full orbital energy. His space stuff isn't crocks of shit, unlike pretty much everything else he's done.
 
Based on my understanding of how Starship works in the context of the Artemis mission profile, it does not appear that its design had any deeper thought than “build giant 50s-looking rocket”.

It has yet to be proven feasible as even an orbital rocket let alone an interplanetary one. Perhaps it will get there but it is a long, long way off. And if Musk pisses away any potential political capital he may have had prior to his maniacal government actions it becomes less likely that he will ever get to Mars.
In most regards the current system outperforms the SLS. Obviously they need to get the kinks out but other than that the SLS is ahead only in having hydrolox engines rather than metholox which becomes of increasing importance as you intend to head farther from Earth.
The “current” system hasn’t even gotten to orbit. Maybe it has the promise of “outperforming” the SLS by some metric you didn’t specify.

But as I understand it, the Artemis mission will require over a dozen starship launches because of all the refueling that will be needed.
It's gone to orbit for all practical purposes. They have deliberately kept the periapsis too low for it to stay up there but the additional burn to actually reach orbit it very low. To be a reasonable test it must hit at basically full orbital energy. His space stuff isn't crocks of shit, unlike pretty much everything else he's done.
You still feeling confident that Starship has “gone to orbit for all practical purposes”? Now they’ll have two FAA investigations on their hands.

Even If Starship only remains part of the Artemis mission profile (instead of becoming the primary rocket) it’s not clear when it will be feasible to get humans back to the Moon.

They’ll have to demonstrate reliability in launches into orbit then fuel transfers. We are likely a couple of years away from seeing that.
 
Based on my understanding of how Starship works in the context of the Artemis mission profile, it does not appear that its design had any deeper thought than “build giant 50s-looking rocket”.

It has yet to be proven feasible as even an orbital rocket let alone an interplanetary one. Perhaps it will get there but it is a long, long way off. And if Musk pisses away any potential political capital he may have had prior to his maniacal government actions it becomes less likely that he will ever get to Mars.
In most regards the current system outperforms the SLS. Obviously they need to get the kinks out but other than that the SLS is ahead only in having hydrolox engines rather than metholox which becomes of increasing importance as you intend to head farther from Earth.
The “current” system hasn’t even gotten to orbit. Maybe it has the promise of “outperforming” the SLS by some metric you didn’t specify.

But as I understand it, the Artemis mission will require over a dozen starship launches because of all the refueling that will be needed.
It's gone to orbit for all practical purposes. They have deliberately kept the periapsis too low for it to stay up there but the additional burn to actually reach orbit it very low. To be a reasonable test it must hit at basically full orbital energy. His space stuff isn't crocks of shit, unlike pretty much everything else he's done.
You still feeling confident that Starship has “gone to orbit for all practical purposes”? Now they’ll have two FAA investigations on their hands.

Even If Starship only remains part of the Artemis mission profile (instead of becoming the primary rocket) it’s not clear when it will be feasible to get humans back to the Moon.

They’ll have to demonstrate reliability in launches into orbit then fuel transfers. We are likely a couple of years away from seeing that.

I wouldn't be so sure of a functioning FAA when it comes to regulating Musk. Investigators will have been fired or afraid of being fired for investigating him and the head of the FAA will be a Toadie.
 

I wouldn't be so sure of a functioning FAA when it comes to regulating Musk. Investigators will have been fired or afraid of being fired for investigating him and the head of the FAA will be a Toadie.
Irrespective of that, the optics of two failed rocket launches raining down over the Caribbean is not great.
 

I wouldn't be so sure of a functioning FAA when it comes to regulating Musk. Investigators will have been fired or afraid of being fired for investigating him and the head of the FAA will be a Toadie.
Irrespective of that, the optics of two failed rocket launches raining down over the Caribbean is not great.

Ya and airport shut downs in Florida because of the risk of falling parts

 
Musk knows a guy, so getting FAA approval for this go around was probably easier despite the on-going investigation into the failure in 7. Might be harder for 9 as the FAA might ask, 'Are somewhat sure the thing won't lose control and explode again?' Of course, those people could be fired and 9 launches next week.
 
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