NationStates Jolt Archive

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New Star Found
Asteroid Spotted Headed Our Way

Vitalita, ViZion —
Astronomers from ViZion have made one exciting discovery, while also making a second, more startling one.

A new star, named Bugatti after Cryp Bugatti, the astronomer who first spotted it, has been found. Placed at 573 billion lightyears away, this star is said to be six times the size of our sun. While no planets have been spotted as of yet, the ViZionarian astronomers will be looking further into this new star and its solar system.

The second discovery is quite startling, and has the potential to be dangerous. Astronomers in ViZion have also begun tracking an astroid that was recently spotted making its way towards Earth.

While it is believed to pass us, it will be within a moonshot of us, coming within just roughly 185,000 miles from us. In comparison, the moon stretched out at a maximum of about 239,070 miles from Earth. It is expected to grace our planet in 17 years, three months, and 12 days from now.

President Kilo has announced that he wishes to work with the international community on this asteroid, doing things such as making a space platform that can be used to do research on it as it nears this planet.

OOC: Just note... this is for MT nations if they wish to respond to this...

OOC: I've been looking to move into "late MT" stuff, so I'll join in.

**OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE**

TO: President Kilo
FROM: Dr. Samuel Wong, Director - Tolvanic Space Bureau

RE: Asteroidal Body #AK-2756

Our Skywatch system confirmed your discovery of an imminent Near Earth Planteoid three hours after your initial announcement. We estimate that the asteroid masses between 1.5435 and 1.7328 million kgs. In addition we expect the asteroid to pass within 295,000 kilometers of Earth, very close to your projected course. We recoginize the potential danger and the possible benefits that this occurence affords us.

As a result the TSB is preparing to send an unmanned probe to land on the asteroid within seven to ten years, once the first of our Outward Bound series space stations are in place to support the mission. Additionally, we are prepared to discuss a possible joint mission to explore or if necessary acert the asteroid.

We await your reply.

OOC: 295,000 km is out of the earth's magnetosphere quite a bit o.O

TO ALL NATIONS

My nation may be small, but we have been graced with the Darkness Falls Space Station, which has double-confirmed the location and trajectory of the incoming asteroid. We project it to approach us at approximately 162,000 miles, also close to projected figures. However, we have worse news. It seems that, if multiple nearby space objects outside our system align correctly, the asteroid just might be launched via gravitational pull straight for us. Though we are unable to send our own probe, we are willing to help pay for one.

From Minister Cyran Dagg of Foreign Affairs

Cheirk Lamboni, head of ViZion's Department of Astronomy, wishes to thank Cyran Dagg and Dr. Samuel Wong for their interest in assisting us to work on this together.

This is the closest call this planet has seen in thousands of years for anything of this size. We hope to learn alot from this, and also have interest in preventing any collision, should it become more apparent as it nears that such a situation will happen.

Thank you, and we look forward to working together with you and others on a joint global space project.