Just when you thought lawsuits couldn’t get anymore pointless…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050705/ap_on_fe_st/russia_comet_case

For those of you too lazy to read the short article a woman is suing NASA for $300 million dollars after they send a probe crashing into a comet.  She claims that this “deforms her horoscope.”

I don’t even know what to say anymore, but if she would somehow win this it will proove that the world is in fact over.

If she loses, does it prove that her horoscope was indeed deformed? The mind reels.

All astrologers are frauds and should be incarcerated.

HAHA ! So this lady thinks her horoscopes so bloody special, its actually worth 300 million ? . Some people !

It must be true!  She wouldn’t initiate a lawsuit unless she would win, since she can use her horoscope to divine the future!

Can she sue NASA even though she’s in Russia?
Probably she lost a bet or something that caused
her moral sufferings.. 

I will probably file a lawsuite myself if she succeeds. Or even better, we can file a joint lawsuit. We can get ou settlement half in cash and half in state of the art NASA equipment. What do you guys think?

I must say though; What/who gives NASA the right to just smash stuff into things? How come they can just decide to smash something into a comet and is anyone keeping tabs on them?
I mean they can say it poses no problems for Earth but how do they really know anyway.
I think there’s enough examples in History to show that scientists have dicked around with “safe” stuff before and unleashed big trouble.
I wonder if I can just build myself a little rocket and fire it into the moon…..

Articles of the Outer Space Treaty:
[quote author=“Article I”]There shall be freedom of scientific investigation in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, and States shall facilitate and encourage international co-operation in such investigation.

[quote author=“Article VI”]When activities are carried on in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, by an international organization, responsibility for compliance with this Treaty shall be borne both by the international organization and by the States Parties to the Treaty participating in such organization.

Pertaining mostly to the question above… Article VII and Article IX:
[quote author=“Article VII”]Each State Party to the Treaty that launches or procures the launching of an object into outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, and each State Party from whose territory or facility an object is launched, is internationally liable for damage to another State Party to the Treaty or to its natural or juridical persons by such object or its component parts on the Earth, in air space or in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies.

[quote author=“Article IX”]If a State Party to the Treaty has reason to believe that an activity or experiment planned by it or its nationals in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially harmful interference with activities of other States Parties in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, it shall undertake appropriate international consultations before proceeding with any such activity or experiment. A State Party to the Treaty which has reason to believe that an activity or experiment planned by another State Party in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially harmful interference with activities in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, may request consultation concerning the activity or experiment.

As I’m sure you’re aware, the current US government isn’t into the whole “International Treaty” thing.

Regardless of your view of the governments political stance, it answers his question:
“What/who gives NASA the right to just smash stuff into things? How come they can just decide to smash something into a comet and is anyone keeping tabs on them?”...

NASA is for obvious reasons strongly bound to the DoD, a government agency, and is allowed what they want b/c of that tie.

I think I’d trust a NASA scientist over some Russia’s version of Ms. Cleo.  Judging by that treaty, unless the comet plummets down to earth and creates a big crater where her house used to be, NASA isn’t responsible for shit.

She’s probably been waiting for this to happen for years.. gives her an excuse to tell people when her horoscopes turn out to be bogus.