Far be it from me to be a doom monger, but just for the sake of discussion…
Scientists have played down suggestions that there is any link between the event in the Urals and 2012 DA14, an asteroid expected to race past the Earth on Friday at a distance of just 27,700km 17,200 miles – the closest ever predicted for an object of that size.Prof Alan Fitzsimmons, of the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queens University Belfast, said there was “almost definitely” no connection.”One reason is that 2012 DA14 is approaching Earth from the south, and this object hit in the northern hemisphere,” he told BBC News.”This is literally a cosmic coincidence, although a spectacular one.”
via BBC News – Meteor strike injures hundreds in central Russia.
Which is fine (though I’d be a tad happier without that “almost”!). The thought occurs to me however, what would the global official policy on managing public panic were the scientists’ calculation just a little awry? Er, do nothing and hope for the best??
Just sayin’.
Random Discourtesies 