Subject: Re: об Астрологе Марине Бай в научных астрономических новостях
Date   : 20 Apr 2005 17:04 GMT
From   : Denis Maimistov [DenisM] (AstroSchool@mail.convey.ru)
To     : Denis Maimistov [DenisM] (AstroSchool@mail.convey.ru)

 CCNet 47/2005 - 20 April 2005 
ASTRO-ENVIRONMENTALISM IN ACTION: RUSSIAN ASTROLOGER SUES NASA TO STOP DEEP
IMPACT MISSION
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The last thing NASA expected was a lawsuit from Russia. But Russian astrologist 
Marina Bai gave it a try, and, according to her lawyer Alexander Molokhov, it 
looks like she may just pull it off. In a lawsuit she filed last month with 
the Presnensky district court in Moscow, Bai is demanding that NASA call off 
its $311 million [Deep Impact] operation, with the spacecraft already in its 
cruise phase. She also wants 8.7 billion rubles (the ruble equivalent of the 
entire cost of the mission) in compensation for moral damage
      --Anna Arutunyan, MosNews, 19 April 2005 
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(1) RUSSIAN ASTROLOGER SUES NASA, TRIES TO STOP DEEP IMPACT MISSION
    MosNews, 19 April 2005
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http://www.mosnews.com/feature/2005/04/19/deepimpact.shtml

Russian Astrologist Plans to Crash NASA's Independence Day

Anna Arutunyan
MosNews 

Remember Deep Impact - that global disaster movie from the 1990's when the
world's finest astronauts embarked on a suicide mission to save mankind from a
comet heading straight for Earth? Now, imagine if the producers introduced a new
twist to the plot: besides the comet, NASA is pitted against a Russian
astrologist who sues the space agency because destroying a comet would
irrevocably harm her "system of spiritual values".

Well, we're not in the direct trajectory of a comet (not yet anyway), but a Deep
Impact mission is underway, with a NASA spacecraft loaded with explosives [sic]
scheduled to collide with the Tempel-1 comet on July 4 and blast it to
smithereens [sic]. That's right, it's Independence Day. 

Now, the last thing NASA expected was a lawsuit from Russia. 

But Russian astrologist Marina Bai gave it a try, and, according to her lawyer
Alexander Molokhov, it looks like she may just pull it off. In a lawsuit she
filed last month with the Presnensky district court in Moscow, Bai is demanding
that NASA call off its $311 million operation, with the spacecraft already in
its cruise phase. She also wants 8.7 billion rubles (the ruble equivalent of the
entire cost of the mission) in compensation for moral damages. 

"The actions of NASA infringe upon my system of spiritual and life values, in
particular on the values of every element of creation, upon the unacceptability
of barbarically interfering with the natural life of the universe, and the
violation of the natural balance of the Universe," Bai said in her claim. 

NASA successfully launched its Deep Impact spacecraft - comprised of a "fly-by"
spacecraft and a smaller "impactor" carrying some 350 kilograms of a
copper-based explosive [sic] - on Jan. 12 with the aim of studying the nature of
comets. The spacecraft's "impactor" is expected to form a large crater enabling
scientists to look inside the comet. The scientific objectives of the mission,
according to NASA, seem innocent enough: just measure the crater and examine the
composition of its interior. But then again, there's always a larger agenda
lurking in the background - what would we do in the unlikely even of an
emergency?

Bai is not the only astrologist worried about messing with the Universe. 

"Imagine leaving Moscow, then returning to find everything's changed," says
Vladimir Portnov, a physicist and a professional astrologist. "Of course,
everyday people will feel the implications of destroying a comet."

According to Portnov, even something as "minor" as comets play a role in
creating humanity's psychic environment. By wantonly destroying a comet, NASA
will inevitably disrupt that environment - with the most likely result being
mass anxiety.

But can anyone stop NASA on these grounds? Bai's initial lawsuit was dismissed
by the Presnensky court, but the Moscow City Court took up the appeal and will
rule following a hearing scheduled for May 6. And lawyer Alexander Molokhov is
convinced the case will move further. 

"I have no doubt that the Moscow City Court will cancel the (previous
dismissal)," Molokhov told MosNews. 

According to Russian law, a Russian citizen can file a claim with a Russian
court against a foreign organization that has representation in Russia. And
NASA, with an office in Moscow, is certainly eligible as a plaintiff. "If a
Houston court can examine a case involving a Russian company (Yukos - MosNews),
why can't a Russian file a claim against an American agency with a Russian
court?"

But is there any chance in calling off the mission and getting a hefty $311
million? Molokhov hopes the case will resonate widely in the media. "There is a
law against actions that can lead to damage or death," and in Russia, the case
is being filed on those grounds. Also, Molokhov plans to take the claim to the
United States. In fact, he says, there are a number of scientists there who
would be glad to sue NASA.

Indeed, the consequences of destroying a comet may include anything from an
asteroid shower to disruption to radio waves.

"I am not a scientist," Molokhov says, "but experts say the impact could disrupt
the comet's plasma trail, which could have an effect on satellite
communications." 

So, what does NASA think of the challenge? So far, Molokhov says that the NASA
Moscow Liaison Office has made no statements whatsoever regarding Bai's claim. 

Meanwhile, Dolores Beasley, at the Deep Impact mission headquarters in
Washington, was very surprised to hear of the case. In a phone call, she said
she was not aware of any claims against NASA originating in the States, and that
generally the mission was "very popular".

The Russian Space Agency, meanwhile, has also kept quiet about the mission. A
man who answered at the press office said he was "not competent to answer any
questions" regarding his agency's position over the NASA mission. Molokhov said
that isn't surprising - the agency gets some financing from NASA and is not keen
on criticism. 

Expert opinion ranges from comments saying the mission is an innocent endeavor,
to outright lambasting. "I think such vandalism cannot be justified even in the
case of the asteroid-comet danger that people talk so much about," Nikolai
Bochkarev of the Russian Academy for Natural Science told the Itogi magazine.

So, what would an astrologist say about destroying a comet to save humanity? 

"I think it's acceptable to try," Vladimir Portnov says. Then he smiles: "But I
think it's impossible."

Copyright 2005, MosNews

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