From: root@mauve.demon.co.uk   
      
   Russell Crook - Computer Systems - System Engineer    
   wrote:   
   > Ian Stirling wrote:   
   >> David Cortesi  wrote:   
   >   
   >>>In article <04Ojc.12892$eZ5.7904@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>,   
   >>>"Carey Sublette"  wrote:   
   >   
   >>>>...an interstellar probe is...performing a very high speed fly-by...   
   >>>>A unique observation mode that only a probe could carry out is having a   
   >>>>chunk of probe hit the planet's atmosphere and collect data...   
   >   
   >>>This seems a very careless and possibly disastrous plan.   
   >>>What would be the ground effect of an object moving at   
   >>>an appreciable fraction of C, grazing the atmosphere of Earth?   
   >   
   >> Oooh, a meteor!   
   >> As long as it's small, there isn't much problem.   
   >   
   > Only if "small" means "under a gram".   
   > At "an appreciable fraction of C", the   
      
   I was assuming that 'collect data' meant collect the spectrographic   
   data from the disintegration of tiny motes.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)