The Human Race vs. An Asteroid

[Dargoo_Faust]

I'm surprised that Composite Civ hasn't gotten more matches for its middle key as it's basically humanity in its current state, which makes for some pretty sick meme matchups.

First things first, the Civ has to find a way to either prevent or survive the impact event to win. The asteroid doesn't have to kill absolutely everyone, just end the civilization as they know it.

Speaking of, let's set the situation for this. This is Information Era Composite Civ. Scientists working in their space program notice that a massive asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, set to hit the planet in one year, exactly. The civ has complete control over the planet and its resources, and the asteroid will land as it previously did in the Cretacious period.

So, let's vote, then.

Composite Civilization (Sid Meier's Civilization) -

Chicxulub Impact Event -

Incon -

 

[DMUA]

They could probably try to send missles to reroute it's trajectory so it doesn't hit earth, or at the very least, hits earth with less impact and fallout.

If the latter is the effect, they probably all get into bomb shelters and wait to pop back up after they meteor lands. Anything anywhere close to it is probably hecked, but, everything else around will see it as a minor inconvenience.

 

[Dargoo_Faust]

Humanity - 1 (DMUA)

A Rock - 0

 

[Numbersguy]

How much prep?

Because I am 100% sure that with a year or less, we are toast (No way we can prepare something to redirect it, this fast).

But with like several years, we can find a way to redirect it.

 

[Jawsome274]

Well, some astronauts could just fly up into space. Sure, they'll die from starvation eventually if they don't have enough rations, but SOMEONE's surviving. I vote human for my reason and FRA.

 

[The_Smashor]

Since the meteor isn't really "Alive", inconclusive is literally impossible. Just thought I'd mention that. The meteor's wincon is landing.

 

[Dargoo_Faust]

Just wanted to say that destroying the Civ is the wincon, not killing every single human on the planet.

Also I said in the OP they get a year of preparations.

 

[The_Smashor]

Yeah I don't know if we can do anything about it. I mean, would just nukes destroy the asteroid?

 

[DMUA]

No way a nuke can take out something that big

Best bet is to use said nuke to redirect it's trajectory.

 

[The_Impress]

Newbie here, what constitutes as a destroyed civilization? Because nuclear bunkers should be able to survive the impact decently enough right?

 

[Ecstasy_Amphetamine]

I just realized MCU Thanos can easily tank this event

Maybe they can prepare bunkers, they are motivated by fear which makes them work faster, so I'll go for the CC

 

[The_Impress]

Yeah, voting for CC

 

[Dargoo_Faust]

Uh, to be entirely fair that's not counting how no matter how many humans survive in bunkers most species would go extinct, agriculture as we know it would end, the surface would be borderline be uninhabitable for years.

Whatever they do might not last long enough for the Civ to truely survive. The initial destruction is by far the least worrisome aspect of a major asteroid impact; it's the fallout.

 

[The_Smashor]

They have a year to create an underground civilization. I think they could do that.

 

[The_Impress]

There are theorhetically ways to neutralize a fallout, I think CC would find ways to make them practical within a year

 

[AguilaR101]

Nukes could either change its trajectory or fragment it and turn it into a cluster bomb.

 

[Dargoo_Faust]

Nukes could either change its trajectory or fragment it and turn it into a cluster bomb.

That's very speculative. The Chicxulub meteor is around the size of Texas, fragmenting it isn't possible even with every nuke currently on the planet being set off at once. Given we don't even have an estimate for how many nukes Ghandi can strap to a rocket in the Civ games, I strongly doubt their capable of that.

You're ignoring how diffucult it is to send massive payloads such as nukes into space with such little notice, and redirecting the meteor would require massive amounts of force even with a year's advance.

 

[AguilaR101]

Chixculub meteor isn't anywhere near the size of Texas, where does that even come from?

 

[JackJoyce]

There's dozens of ways for changing an asteroids orbit. But most deflection efforts for a large object require from a year to decades of warning, allowing time to prepare and carry out a collision avoidance project, as no known planetary defense hardware has yet been developed. My estimate is 5 years as a bare minimum to avoid an impact of this magnitude.

So the majority of Flora and fauna in earth dies. The food chain collapses. Humanity dies from lack of breathable air and food.

 

[KLOL506]

If the Chicxulub meteor was actually the size of Texas, Earth would possibly not even exist.

 

[Crabwhale]

If the Chicxulub meteor was actually the size of Texas, Earth would possibly not even exist.

Nah, Primordial Earth survived an impact with the Mars-sized object called Theia. It was knocked a few degrees off kilter (the reason we have seasons) but it survived.

The Chicxulub meteor being the size of Texas is a gross overestimation.

 

[KLOL506]

Primordial Earth had something to heal from tho. :V

 

[BigSmoke4269]

I guess we could just make underground bunkers, bring plants and animals for food, and extract water from underground for hydration. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Crops can't grow without sunlight, you stupid dead meme!" Yeah, they can, we can create artificial conditions for the farms.

 

[JackJoyce]

https://youtu.be/JyECrGp-Sw8

 

[BigSmoke4269]

https://youtu.be/JyECrGp-Sw8

So, what that video says is that we survive if we're in bunkers, before exhausting our food supply and going out for more. Except, in the video, we go out into a radioactive wasteland experiencing nuclear winter, whereas here, the impact isn't nuclear, and as such it would be a lot easier to get food again. And, as I said, with a year of prep we could bring animals and crops down with us for food.

 

[JackJoyce]

Where would you get shelter for 8 Billion peoples bruh? There can be lack of breathable air in the underground bunkers and so on. Also the OP says, the Civ has to find a way to either prevent or survive the impact event to win. The asteroid doesn't have to kill absolutely everyone, just end the civilization as they know it. The end of all land based technologies, satellites, resources is the end of the civilization

 

[BigSmoke4269]

We don't need to save all "8 Billion peoples bruh". We just need to preserve human civilization as a whole. If two billion of us died, we'd still be a civilization. If 10,000 years ago a dozen thousand people counted as a civilization, I don't see why it wouldn't now. Also, an underground civilization is still a civilization. As I said, we would presumably have resources stored underground, and civilization was around before we had technology and satellites. I'd also like to point out that you said there are "land-based satellites".

 

[GojiBoyForever]

MASSIVE necro.

 

[BigSmoke4269]

MASSIVE necro.

?

 

[GojiBoyForever]

what is that?

 

[JackJoyce]

I'd also like to point out that you said there are "land-based satellites".

I actually thought meteorites create EMP. I was wrong

 

[Dargoo_Faust]

Ah, necros. They're like a time machine for me to view my old cringe-worthy threads.