http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astr...t_may_get_hit_by_a_comet_in_october_2014.html We need a rescue mission to get Curiosity out of there!
That would be pretty amazing to witness. With or rovers and the orbiting surveying spacecraft in orbit there we could get some amazing data if it hits.
Really interesting; thanks, Candlelight. Am I perverse for wanting a direct strike, so we can observe the effects?
Pretty nasty dilemma the Martians are facing there. If they continue hiding, they'd be obliterated, if they use their comet deflection system, we'll be after their green asses. I suspect the comet trajectory might be intentional...
That would certainly put a damper on the current plans for manned missions to Mars. I wonder if the explosion would be large enough to be seen from Earth without a telescope, or even if the two planets would be aligned such that we could see it.
Not at all, considering the only plan close to launching is scheduled for 4 years after the possible impact and that mission is just a flyby that won't arrive for another year after departure..
For my claim that we'd be able to see it? None, I'm hypothesizing that if the side where it hits is facing Earth and it is at night, we may see the flash.
It's pretty unlikely that the comet will actually hit Mars, but I'm a little concerned about our resources there. The satellites could very well be sandblasted into oblivion. The rovers would have the protection of the atmosphere, but could also be imperiled.
As Mars is a superior planet (outside the Earth's orbit), we only ever see its phase as gibbous or full from Earth. I think you'd probably need a telescope to observe anything out of the ordinary unless the nucleus itself were to hit the planet.
Aaaand, there's astronomy for you: every once in while, it makes a "very near pass" at being interesting.