Innovation in Software

This isn’t a plot to a movie. It’s real.

Sometime in 2036, we stand a chance of apparently being hit by an asteroid that would release energy equivalent to 100,000 Hiroshima bombs. The resulting dust cloud would leave the entire planet in darkness for a year which of course would pretty much destroy all vegetation – and consequently humanity – whilst causing tsunamis so large that even 50 miles in land you could be in serious trouble of being killed.

Thankfully, somebody, somewhere, has noticed it might be an idea to do something about it. The International Planetary Society is offering $50,000 for good ideas to go and collect data when it passes within reach of us in 2014. The idea is that by tagging it with a beacon or transponder of some description, scientists can go about collecting data about mass, composition, rotation, speed, etc. and then work out what the likelihood is of it passing through a “gravity keyhole” in 2029 that would then shift it subtly thereby increasing the chances of it hitting us in 2036. The increased knowledge should also help formulate more detailed plans on how to shift its orbit if it does pose a threat to Earth.

I like the fact that open innovation is being used here. This isn’t a room full of scientists that have been chosen for being an “expert” in something – anybody can suggest an idea, and each will be judged on its own merits rather than on the letters after the authors name. They’re expecting around 100 entries and by the sounds of it, many of them are relatively cheap – in the sub $500,000 range – which means we might actually see NASA and ESA try a few of them in combination.

So, if you want your chance to tell your grandchildren you once helped save the planet, it’s time to get your thinking caps on.