Thursday, April 29, 2010

叻思华小向前朝申请校地无下文 捍华向家祥保证雪州政府不跳票

Malaysiakini

尽管乌雪补选已尘埃落定,但是朝野依旧为兑现竞选承诺的问题互相指责,面对马青总团长魏家祥敦促雪州民联政府尽快处理叻思华小新校舍的地税问题,雪州行动党主席欧阳捍华促请这位副教育部长放心,扬言雪州民联是一个有公信力的政府,绝对不会像国阵般频频“跳票”。

欧阳捍华也是雪州行政议员,他也强调,叻思华小董事部早在1994年就向前朝国阵政府申请新校地,但却被人球般踢来踢去,迟迟没有下文,直到308大选换民联政府执政雪州后才出现转机。

欧阳捍华解释,雪州政府早在乌雪补选前(2009年10月21日行政议会)就批准了叻思华小的新校地,说明了这并不是补选的糖果。

“由于该校董事部认为地价太高,所以于2010年1月19日致函向州政府申请减价。州政府基于校地属于公共用途,决定未来任何校地申请都以1令吉作为地价,这不只适用于华小,而是所有源流的学校,有别于国阵执政52年种族政治的政策。”

他说,雪州政府在较早前已发信通知董事部有关批注地价1令吉的决定,目前只等待行政议会秘书处把会议决议公文发予县署,董事部就可前往县署缴交1令吉地价,然后县署才可着手处理及发出地契。

“这些都必须依照国家土地法典的规定行事。本人将会亲自监督此事,确保一切程序顺利进行。”

他说,马华及国阵领袖在华社压力下兑现拨款叻思华小的300万令吉,却乘机将叻思华小新校地的问题政治化,以便掩饰国阵执政期间无法公平解决叻思华小校地的无能。

“魏家祥身为副教育部长,他应该花更多的时间在解决华小长期拨款不公及国阵政府不愿制度化增建华小的问题。在第九大马计划下,华小学生人虽占全国小学人数的21%,但拨款却只有区区的3.6%。马华到今天为止,还不能给华社一个交代,到底是马华无能为力,还是办事不力?”

“华社必须紧记的是,国阵在308大选前宣布在雪隆地区增建6间新华小,搬迁13间华小的承诺到今天还未兑现,看起来这也是马华及国阵用来钓取选票的伎俩。华社只能望梅止渴,但摸不到也吃不到。本人希望魏家祥能够给华社一个交待。”

他说,雪州政府从2009年起,制度化每年拨出400万令吉给华小,以及200万给华文独中作发展用途。

他说,雪州内的华小若要申请拨款,可向掌管教育的行政议员哈里玛的办公室领取表格,或上网www.selangor.gov.my下载表格。


Malaysiakini

Bandar Kuching 古晋市



























Monday, April 26, 2010

Aliens may exist but contact would hurt humans: Hawking




Sun Apr 25, 6:56 pm ET
LONDON (AFP) – Aliens may exist but mankind should avoid contact with them as the consequences could be devastating, British scientist Stephen Hawking warned Sunday.

"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," said the astrophysicist in a new television series, according to British media reports.

The programmes depict an imagined universe featuring alien life forms in huge spaceships on the hunt for resources after draining their own planet dry.

"Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach," warned Hawking.

The doomsday scenario is suggested in the series "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking" on the Discovery Channel, which began airing in the United States on Sunday.

On the probability of alien life existing, he says: "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational.

"The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like."

Glowing squid-like creatures, herds of herbivores that can hang onto a cliff face and bright yellow predators that kill their prey with stinging tails are among the creatures that stalk the scientist's fantastical cosmos.

Mankind has already made a number of attempts to contact extraterrestrial civilisations
In 2008, American space agency NASA beamed the Beatles song "Across the Universe" into deep space to send a message of peace to any alien that happens to be in the region of Polaris -- also known as the North Star -- in 2439.

But the history of humanity's efforts to contact aliens stretches back some years.

The US probes Pioneer 10 and 11 were launched in 1972 and 1973 bearing plaques of a naked man and woman and symbols seeking to convey the positions of the Earth and the Sun.

Voyager 1 and 2, launched in 1977, each carry a gold-plated copper phonogram disk with recordings of sounds and images on Earth.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

乌雪国会议席补选 国阵以1725多数票胜利


乌雪国会议席补选,选委会正式公布成绩,

国阵以1725多数票胜利。

The Barisan Nasional has recaptured the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat which was won by PKR in 2008. Its candidate, MIC information chief P. Kamalanathan, beat PKR candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim by 1,725 votes.




国阵卡马垃纳登 P. Kamalanathan :24997票

民联再益依不拉欣 Datuk Zaid Ibrahim :23272票

多数票:1725票

Friday, April 23, 2010

买二手(second hand)手提电脑(Laptop)的经验。

现代的人,手提电脑已经成了日常的必需品了,非常普及和方便,大多都是上网聊天或玩游戏或找资料或写博。可是,当一些家庭成员较多时,都争着要使用时,麻烦就来了,有的时候是兄弟姐妹在争,有时是父母和孩子们争,惟有去买多几架来解决纷争,你有我有,不用争(如果经济可许)。

我的情况较简单,我有一架个人电脑(desktop)和一架手提电脑(Laptop)。可是这个人电脑放在房间不方便移动,当一家人在客厅时,我却独自房间使用个人电脑,好像和他们有隔离了,感觉很不好。手提电脑就不同,放在客厅使用时,又可以和家人亲密的在一块,又可以一边看电视节目,孩子们的一举一动都在我的视线以内,其乐容容也。

现在的小孩学习能力很快,我的五岁大的孩子已经很会上网玩游戏了,幼儿园的功课一做完后就是开始和我争用电脑的时候了。一般上,我也没甚么玩上网玩游戏,上网也只是看看部落格的文章和面子书的信息或游戏。

为了解决这个烦恼,我只好去买架电脑给他用,我的预算不高,也不知道是要买新的还是旧的,就去电脑销售中心逛逛,很不幸的,我被一位销售员说服了一架二手的手提电脑,这架手提电脑的硬件或软件都服合我的要求,在展示时操作正常,虽然价格偏高,但是当时也就糊里糊涂的买了下来。回到家开机试用时,开始出现状况,真糟糕也真后悔,只好送回该店,由于他们说保证期只有一个月,只好看他们是要维修还是换一架还是退钱。

最近,刚好有电脑展览(PC Fair ),几位朋友都有去参观,他们也买了新的各款式及各品牌的手提电脑,在我面前眩耀全新的硬件和软件,如i3,window7,价格也不会太贵,看了后更加重了我的那后悔的心情。

我再次的去那间电脑销售中心游逛,看到了很多新产品,琳琅满目,这就是没做好功课,不去做比较和观察市场上最新的产品及价格,也太冲动的误买了那架二手的手提电脑。

我走到了那间店,再次的见到那位销售员,我用和气的口气询问他,刚好他的老板也在,我就说我希望最好是能够退钱给我,刚好,也有一位和我同样遭遇的买者,怒气冲冲要求还钱,这二手机不能用也不能修,那位老板也大方还钱给我们,那个人拿了钱就走开了。我就留下来好奇的问个明白,这手提电脑已不能再用,你们如何处置?他们说,将会把它坼散再重新组合(我心想,这下回不知谁会倒霉去碰上,希望各位明白我的意思)。

拿了钱,我终于松了一口气,还暗暗骂自己真够笨,也奉劝各位不要像我那么笨(或许你们比我聪明,无须面对这样的遭遇)。



我四年前买过dell的手提电脑,现在还操作良好,也对它的产品的内容较熟悉。这次就小心的环走四周作比较,还是看上了dell,在dell的代理商店,终于买到满意的新堆出手提电脑,而且是最新的产品,价格也合理。


回到家,父子俩一起上网,他玩他的,我玩我的,无需争用一架手提电脑,哈哈。

Dell laptop inspiron N4010 14"
Processor NEW 2010 Intel®Core™ i5 - 430M
* (i5 = 4 core processors, i3 = 2 core processors)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit (English)
2GB DDR3 at 1066MHz / 320G Hard Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5450 - 1GB display
Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Combination Drive with dual layer write capabilities
Security Software -McAfee™ Security Center (Multi-Language) - 15 Months Version
Free gift

Thursday, April 22, 2010

黄燕燕委三老将辅助领导槟马华 自诩环保份子不受采金风波影响

Malaysiakini
刘嘉铭
4月22日

因山头主义盛行,而被视为最难整合的槟州马华联委会新阵容终于出炉。有别于前总会长翁诗杰借助马青班底的人事部署,新任槟州主席黄燕燕选择让党内三名资深领袖担任要职,辅助她领导槟马华。

该三名领袖,即郭家骅、骆福汉及刘一端分别担任顾问、署理主席及秘书职。他们皆来自蔡细历阵营,且曾担任槟州行政议员。

一度被指将设“双署理” 职以安抚各方势力的构思未落实,除了4名区会主席受委副主席,属于翁诗杰阵营的槟马青团长翁协文,与妇女组主席陈清凉也是当然副主席。

黄燕燕是今午在槟州马华总部,宣布全新的阵容名单。各区会主席及主要领袖皆到场,仅在首都出席港务局会议的陈清凉,及身在国外的峇眼区会主席吕启泰缺席。

黄燕燕被询及时否认,外界盛传郭家骅因牵涉商会纠纷,而缘悭署理主席一职的说法。

她表示,郭家骅纯粹是因忙于从商、需经常出国及深知槟联委会任重道远,而提出仅担任顾问一职。

“他不是不被委任,是他亲自提出承担槟马华是很大的工程,加上槟州课题繁多及人民要求高,而不接受任何的委任。无论如何,我依然要他协助帮助一些不用太多时间的工作。”


据她表示,郭家骅将担任槟国阵的马华副总协调,以及马华策略与政策研究所(INSAP)的槟州代表。

黄燕燕表示,拟定阵容前已咨询了各区会、妇女组及马青,以便槟马华可彻底转型成一个团结、有效、有魄力及合心的团队。

“我相信,此队伍可强大起来,给全民,特别是华社提供更全面的服务。同时,我将把更多的联邦政府发展与资源带到槟州。”

被询及新阵容中充斥许多的“老将”,她表示,对此毫不担心,因为事前已全面考量了领袖的素质及可付出的时间等因素。

此外,她强调,328后派系之争已走入历史,仅需当成教训而不用耗时谈论。相反的,马华现应探讨如何向前迈进。

值得一提的是,日前被武吉公满居民截拦炮轰无视山埃采金课题的黄燕燕在记者会结束前,针对槟州植物园发展计划作出回应时,自诩“环保份子”。

由于公民组织不满槟州植物园发展计划,身为旅游部长的她表示,已委派部门秘书长在24小时内,前来槟城与众人洽商研究。

“我已经指示我的秘书长,未来任何涉及自然、环境与植物园的槟州发展计划,他们都要事先咨询大马自然协会槟州分会等非政府组织。”

“因为,我是一名环保份子。我喜欢公园,更相信环境应获得保护。这也是为何升旗山的缆车提升计划不可对环境造成影响。”

“在类似的课题上,我们经常听取及咨询公众的反馈。”

黄燕燕也是劳勿国会议员,武吉公满反毒委员会席黄金雄为首的村民,日前趁其前往新古毛为国阵助选时当众拦截她,并谴责其身为该区国会议员,却一直对居民避而不见。

Malaysiakini

Monday, April 19, 2010

劳勿山埃采金 武吉公满村民

转载自: Malaysiakini 读者来函

劳勿武吉公满小村民
4月19日 下午 3点48分
详情请参阅:http://bancyanide.blogspot.com

金矿全面使用山埃冶金至今已一年,然而仍有很多人对山埃采金事件根本不了解。这是关系着严重的环境破坏,影响百万人健康的污染问题。你对山埃采金事件的了解有多少?

花个10分钟耐心看一看,以下的19项讯息,你懂的有几项?

1。劳勿澳洲金矿私人有限公司的创办人兼主席甘代耀是马华前总秘书甘文华的儿子;彭亨州三公主Tengku Puteri Seri Lela Manja是股东之一;三公主前夫Mohd Moiz则担任董事之职,他也是我国现任内政部长的好朋友。

2。金矿公司以1996年的逾期环境评估报告(EIA Report)在2006年获得山埃采金(以碳提炼法冶金)的执照。

3。以碳提炼法冶金(Carbon In Leach, CIL)的金矿与民宅之间的距离完全没有缓冲区(Buffer Zone),只相隔一条马路。

4。金矿公司每年将使用400吨的Sodium Cyanide(山埃),平均每日约1.5吨的使用量;每年109吨的hydrochloric acid(盐酸)和131.4吨的SO2(二氧化硫)131.4吨的copper sulphate(硫酸铜),2800吨的lime or calcium oxide(氧化钙/生石灰)等等接近20种的化学原料。

5。金矿公司当初招股时,公开对外宣称大马“地方政府和租地者”没有进行“山埃去毒”的要求,因此该公司没有将去毒工厂的运作费用算入成本。

6。根据《1996年主要工业意外风险控制条规》(CIMA Regulation)里二氧化硫(sulfur dioxide)的条规中阐明任何工业在任何时候储存、生产或使用二氧化硫超过20吨,务必拟定应急措施(紧急逃生演习)。金矿公司并没有这么做,而且透过警方施压全面阻止专家办讲座和解说会。

7。传统金沙沟采金方式并不能将黄金完全取尽,所以金矿将以前筛洗过但还残留黄金的坭土,浸入含有山埃液体的大槽中溶解,接着把含有黄金的液体导入另一个大槽,再添入碳,碳会将黄金吸附在碳的表层。接着,把附有黄金的碳导入一个含滚烫山埃液体(sodium hydroxide-cyanide-water solution)的大槽中溶解。黄金液体接着将被导经一排电解沉积体(electrowinning cells),只需约三分钟就会化作片片黄金。

8。金矿的环境评估报告透露,会把渗有山埃与各种化学废料的坭渣存放在深坑里,但是并没有列明任何防范措施,避免雨水冲蚀,污染地面和地下水源 。而且,金矿由始至终都回避泥渣如何安全处理的提问。

9。2008年2月,专研山埃采金术的美国环境化学专家Dr. Glenn C. Miller到武吉公满实地考察,并在5月29日撰写了一份报告,详细列明金矿厂报告漏洞百出,根本不符合国际安全标准,并指出金矿处理泥渣的方式皆可能释放出重金属和酸性废料,导致金属山埃污染(metal-cyanide contamination),严重影响未来数十年甚或数百年的地下水源。

10。8个约3层楼高宽达数十公尺的大槽露天作业,所排放的化学气体能够随风飘移直径5公里的距离,除了污染空气,同时也会形成酸雨,污染地面和地下水源。

11。金矿公司声称受到International Cyanide Management Code《国际山埃管理法典》的约束所以安全无误。实际上,《国际山埃管理法典》的官方网站显示该公司并没有签署这项监督金矿业安全使用山埃的国际准则。而《国际山埃管理法典》指导委员会成员之一则是Dr. Glenn C. Miller。

12。雪兰莪州即将向彭亨州购水,集水区就落在劳勿的东南方,而位于劳勿Klau(吉流)的水坝与金矿之间的距离直径不过十多公里,一旦形成污染,受影响的将不只是劳勿,届时雪兰莪,吉隆坡和布城的数百万水供使用者健康将受到威胁。

13。金矿是向杜邦(Dupont)这个国际化学原料公司进口山埃,但该国际公司曾因工业处理过程不安全而遭美国相关单位罚款。

14。2008年5月,黄金雄、邱惠豪、Encik. Mustapha和张少平入禀法院提出诉讼,欲推翻环境局以1996年环境评估报告作准批准山埃采金的执照,并要求金矿公司进行详细环境评估报告(DEIA, Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment)。

15。2009年6月1日,法庭宣判败诉:(一)无法推翻1996的环境评估报告;(二)环境局不需要针对金矿进行详细环境评估报告;(三)基于案件涉及公众利益,所以4位诉讼人无需支付堂费。

16。官司败诉不到一周,我方立即作出上诉。相隔几个月,金矿也提出上诉,要求我方支付堂费。至今上诉结果一拖再拖,而之前宣判败诉的法官刘美兰也于今年1月份被调职。

17。碳提炼厂从去年2月份开始全面运作,至今已经有1年。

18。武吉公满的金矿共有800万吨的石渣,金矿每年会处理200万吨,估计会做4年,期间发现金脉将进行开采,因此金矿是以设立中型矿场作出申请而取得准证,却设立一个比实际规模较大的矿场,所以使用的化学原料实际上比环境评估报告显示的多,相对的产生的有毒泥渣和废料也比预期中更多。

19。另一个正在如火如荼进行着的碳提炼厂——劳勿Tersang。

整理这一篇文章除了唤醒大家的记忆:“山埃采金已经长达一年了”,也希望身为劳勿人的乡亲能够好好了解发生在自己家园的切身问题,以及其严重性。如果以上的 19项讯息你知道的不到一半,今天开始加紧我们的脚步,山埃采金问题不能再等了,一起为环境为下一代为家园为自己努力吧!

前锋报煞有其事预告有喝酒证据 部落格刊再益酒瓶合成照被踢爆

Malaysiakini 19/4/2010


在公正党副主席阿兹敏阿里挑战部落格和媒体出示该党乌雪候选人再益的饮酒证据后,《马来西亚前锋报》今日煞有其事在封面头条预告,两个部落格将于中午12点回应挑战,公开“再益饮酒”的照片。不料这些所谓的“再益手握威士忌酒瓶”照片却遭踢爆为合成照而出糗。


Gerakan Anti-PKR和Pisau.net两个亲巫统部落格已在中午时分,上载3张相同的再益“握着"威士忌酒瓶的照片,但是并未解释有关照片的背景。

但若仔细观察,这些朦胧不清的照片有移花接木之嫌,同时出现两个疑点。

第一,有关的威士忌酒瓶尚未开封,瓶盖看来仍然完整无缺地紧封。通常在喝酒时,瓶盖已经被打开,“手握”未开瓶盖的酒瓶的姿势有点“奇怪”。



第二,再益双手合拢“握住”酒瓶的手势反常,不像一般手持酒瓶的姿势,拇指应该是向内不外露,让人质疑有关酒瓶是被移花接木安插在再益手中。


过后经过记者在网络搜查,证实这场所谓的握酒照片其实是移花接木而成的合成照。


原本的照片是出自再益接受国内一家英文网络媒体The Nut Graph专访时所拍摄的照片。再益在原本的照片中,并未手持任何的酒瓶。


Gerakan Anti-PKR部落格(左图)也声称,这些照片来自“公正党内部消息”,同时还掌握了关于“3名公正党领袖丑闻”的8张照片和一段8分钟长的短片。



部落格也扬言,3名公正党领袖的其中一人曾在916变天时飞到台湾,这些照片与短片目前只待适合时间交给该部落格发布。


Sunday, April 18, 2010

巫文主流报炒作饮酒课题 再益承认年少轻狂已改过

郭史光庆
4月18日

Malaysiakini



乌雪国席补选昨日甫开打,国阵就瞄准53%的马来票发动第一波凌厉攻势,猛烈攻击公正党候选人再益的道德品德与宗教情操,誓要粉碎他为原则问题不惜罢官而声名大噪的正面形象。
两家马来文日报,即《前锋报星期刊》和《阳光日报》,更在今天头条新闻大肆炒作“再益是酒鬼”的新闻。其中前锋报以大标题打出“阿兹敏挑战国阵:证明再益是酒鬼”

巫统炒作的主要课题分为四项:(一)指控再益是一名酒客,违反回教教义;(二)他身在巫统时曾在2002年入禀法庭,挑战回教党吉兰丹与登嘉楼州政府所通过的回教刑事法;(三)沉溺交际,身边围绕许多女性,不符合一名良好回教徒的操守;(四)再益未被开除党籍前,曾遭巫统判处涉及金钱政治。


饮酒合成照广泛流传派发
昨日游行参与提名的选民与朝野支持者,不难发现行人道上撒满匿名传单,内容出现一张移花接木的再益手握酒瓶照片。

传单上写着:“选州领袖,首先必须端正,其次是聪慧”。

许多亲巫统的部落格早也在互联网上流传一张再益饮酒的合成图,以及再益与不同女性合照的照片,要求再益交代其品德问题。


他们更把矛头指向回教党,质问回教党领袖为何支持品德有问题的候选人。
亲巫统的主流媒体近期不断针对饮酒的课题质问民联领袖,但他们都不敢直接否认再益饮酒的指控,除了避而不谈,要不然就是采取“五十步笑百步”的回应方式。

根据报道,回教党主席哈迪阿旺和雪州大臣卡立昨日的答覆,更是间接证实了这项指控,两人不约而同指这名前巫统部长已经改过自新,卡立也反指许多巫统党人也曾饮酒。

网络上则流传一张貌似某位巫统高层高举酒杯的照片,并成为网民的热论。

民联则反击巫统领袖同样有饮酒及染指饮酒业,集中火力炮轰前首相马哈迪的儿子米尔占收购菲律宾酿酒公司圣米哥(San Miguel)。这已是该党实权领袖安华在每场讲座上必谈的课题。

慕尤丁巫统定位道德之战


至于率领国阵大军的副首相慕尤丁,在宣布国大党候选人卡马拉纳丹时,就强调后者是一名身世清白,前前后后都干净无丑闻的新人,并直接抨击再益过去的记录“不是很好”;接着慕尤丁在昨日的提名后又暗示说,选民将评估候选人的品德、操守与价值观。

不难发现,巫统试图要把这场选战定位为一场道德之战。

不堪逼问,再益终于招认

屡遭媒体逼问的再益,昨晚终于承认自己年少时曾犯下这项错误,但表示加入民联后已改过自新。民联领袖也在讲座上为他背书,声称他已忏悔(bertaubat),此事不再是一项补选课题。

再益昨晚出席克林(Kerling)的一场讲座,再次面对媒体追问此事时,终于还是招认了。

他以四两拔千斤的方式回应说“我已经说过,那是我年轻时,我做了很多不对的事情,我做了(饮酒),我已经解释很多次。”

“但是我现在改变了,我现在是民联的一部分。”

再益甚至反击巫统领袖有何资格谈论道德课题,“巫统领袖在伦敦赌博,大家都知道。巫统领袖赌博,我不赌博。为什么我们要讨论这些课题?让我们现在就讨论(真正的选举)课题。”


“再益已经忏悔不是”

同场演讲的公正党副主席慕斯达法卡米尔(Mustafa Kamil Ayub),则向台下约500名以马来人为主的群众解释,再益已经“忏悔”(bertaubat)。

他以回教先知时代的一名回教宗师为例指出,指后者在皈依回教之前,曾犯下滔天大罪,但皈依后痛改前非,成为历史上有名的回教宗师。

“这个事件已不是课题。”

人身攻击成了竞选主轴

乌雪是一个半城乡选区,境内的大多马来选民都属于乡下村民,在道德与宗教议题上立场较为保守,但再益却是一名作风开放的马来上层精英,巫统就巧妙运用这个落差,对再益展开人身攻击。

虽然再益愿意放下身段认错,但巫统绝不会放过这个绝佳机会以扳回候选人内乱的消息。预料再益的个人品德问题,将是巫统贯穿这场选战的“杀手锏”。

一旦再益及民联无法谨慎化解这项棘手的议题,很可能就会因为这些课题流失马来票,进而导致捍卫国席失败。

郭史光庆
4月18日

Malaysiakini

Saturday, April 17, 2010

NASA's New Asteroid Mission Could Save the Planet


Tariq Malik
SPACE.com Managing Editor
space.com – Fri Apr 16, 7:45 pm ET

President Barack Obama set a lofty next goal this week for Americans in space: Visiting an asteroid by 2025. But reaching a space rock in a mere 15 years is a daunting mission, and one that might also carry the ultimate safety of the planet on its shoulders.

"It is probably the hardest thing we can do because the asteroid is not coming on a schedule," NASA chief Charles Bolden told reporters late Thursday after Obama announced his space vision.

And when a specific asteroid is eventually selected, the window to launch a spaceship toward it will be much less forgiving than the windows for NASA space shuttles bound for the International Space Station, Bolden said.

"The space station gives us five minutes," he explained. "I'm not sure what an asteroid gives us, but then it doesn't come again for a lifetime."

And there's another compelling reason for touching an asteroid: Saving the planet.

In a panel discussion that followed President Obama's Thursday space vision speech, astrophysicist John Grunsfeld -- a former NASA astronaut who flew on five shuttle missions -- suggested sending humans to purposely move an asteroid, to nudge the space rock to change its trajectory. Such a feat, he said, would show that humanity could deflect a space rock if one threatened to crash into the planet.

"By going to a near-Earth object, an asteroid, and perhaps even modifying its trajectory slightly, we would demonstrate a hallmark in human history," said Grunsfeld, who flew on three shuttle missions to fix the Hubble Space Telescope. "The first time humans showed that we can make better decisions than the dinosaurs made 65 million years ago."

Take the moon, Grunsfeld said. Tycho crater, a huge impact crater on the moon visible from Earth, was created when an asteroid crashed into it 95 million years ago, he said.

"The dinosaurs saw that," Grunsfeld told reporters. "Thirty million years later they're snuffed out when the same thing happens to the Earth." [Asteroids Up Close.]

If humanity doesn't develop a capability to meet space rocks head-on, and win, than it is almost a certainty that an asteroid will eventually threaten life on Earth, he added.

TV's Bill Nye the Science Guy, vice president of the Planetary Society, said the president's asteroid plan carries risk, since it sends astronauts so far from home. But it is a risk worth taking.

"You're saving all of humankind," Nye said. "That's worthy, isn't it?"

What's out there

Scientists estimate there are about 100,000 asteroids and comets near Earth, but only about 20,000 are expected to pose any risk of impact. NASA has found about 7,000 of those objects, 1,000 of them flying in orbits that could potentially threaten the Earth in the future, NASA scientists have said.

Astronomer Donald Yeomans, head of NASA's Near-Earth Object program office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said there are about a dozen near-Earth asteroids that could be within reach of manned spacecraft, but most of those are relatively small. To make a crewed mission worth it, the target space rock would likely have to be at least 300 feet (100 meters) wide.

For comparison, the space rock that exploded in a magnificent fireball over Wisconsin this week was just 3 feet (1 meter) wide, Yeomans said.

"If you could study a few of them up-close, you get a better idea on how best to deflect them," Yeomans told SPACE.com."

And more asteroids are being found all the time. NASA's WISE infrared space telescope is discovering dozens of asteroids every day that were previously unknown. New surveys and spacecraft will add to that space rock bounty over the next 15 years to offer more candidates for a crewed asteroid mission, Yeomans said.

New firsts in space

The bold new mission for NASA unveiled by President Obama Thursday was ultimately aimed at sending humans to Mars in the mid-2030s. The asteroid mission is just the first step.

"By 2025, we expect new spacecraft designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first-ever crewed missions beyond the moon into deep space," Obama said. "We'll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history."

Astronauts have been to the moon and it's time to do something new, Obama said. He pledged to revive the Orion spacecraft, initially canceled along with the rest of NASA's Constellation program building new rockets and spacecraft. Now it will be used as a space station escape ship and, later, play a role in deep space missions, Obama said.

A mission to an asteroid would likely take months. Astronauts would rendezvous with a space rock, not land on it because of its weak gravity, but NASA would not send humans to an asteroid to just look at it, Grunsfeld said.

"If you go up to this, you're going to want to crawl around on it and find out what makes it tick," Grunsfeld said. Tethers or pitons would be required to keep asteroid explorers from floating away, he added.

Astronauts on an asteroid mission would be flying outside the Earth's protective magnetosphere, which shields the planet from harsh space and solar radiation. Even the Apollo astronauts who landed and walked on the moon didn't face such a risk.

"It's every bit as exciting in a different way, we're going to deep space. You turn around and take a picture of the Earth, and it's going to be a dot. You're not even going to see the atmosphere," Nye said. "Going to an asteroid, man, it's tough and risky and dangerous, how cool is that?"

Space radiation and long-term isolation would be among the biggest challenges for deep space missions, said MIT professor Edward Crawley, who participated in the panel discussion with Grunsfeld and served on the White House committee that reviewed NASA's human spaceflight program.

Crawley recommended a tiered approach to training missions, with a series of ever-longer expeditions preparing astronauts to the long treks to asteroids and, eventually, Mars.

Understanding asteroids

In general, asteroids are no strangers to the people of Earth. Astronomers have long-watched the space rocks from the ground while spacecraft have visited -- some even landed on -- asteroids in deep space.

Today, Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft is returning back from a huge asteroid called Itokawa, where it attempted to collect samples to send back to Earth. Hayabusa is due to return in June. Meanwhile, NASA's ion-powered Dawn spacecraft is headed out to the asteroid belt to rendezvous with Vesta and Ceres, the two biggest space rocks in the solar system.

But robots are only as good as their programming, and ultimately still rely on human operators.

"Robots have never discovered things," Grunsfeld said. "People have discovered things, using robots."

There are secrets locked away on asteroids that may hold the key to understanding the formation of the solar system. Asteroids are thought to be the leftover remnants of the solar system's buildings blocks. The organic molecules and compounds on them may offer clues on how life began on Earth, and if it's possible elsewhere in the universe, Nye and Grunsfeld said.

For Yeomans, who has studied asteroids for 40 years, hearing President Obama's commitment to send humans to visit them was uplifting, to say the least.

"It was pretty exciting to hear him say that," Yeomans told SPACE.com. "Of course, Congress still has to pass the budget, so all these things are up in the air a bit."



Tariq Malik
SPACE.com Managing Editor