Brewster Rockit by Tim Rickard for November 28, 2021

The real trick of this is: the further back you can intercept a meteor, the less force it takes to keep it out of Earth’s way. Forecasting potential impacts is as important as the launch hardware, if not moreso.

Also, is it just me or does the meteoroid in panel 2 look like Meatwad?

Wouldn’t it be better to practice on something closer and calculated at the last minute? Hitting something close to Earth won’t give the rocket the luxury of accelerating to 15,000 mph.

Winky: “I’m ready. I packed TWO spleens!!”

If NASA ever attempts to shrink asteroids with hydrogen bombs, they should name the program “Preparation H”

Also known as TWIT — Try Winky Instead Test.

I’d think it would depend a lot on the physical nature of the object you’re trying to deflect. That is, if it’s a solid hunk of metallic rock, a loose pile of space rubble or anything in between.

if the dart doesn’t work nasa plans to upgrade to a jart…

I gotta admit that I am more than a little concerned that a minute mathematical miscalculation might send this thing hurtling towards us.

Winky is an amazing kid. He only injures his spleen and that seems to have remarkable recuperative powers. It’s almost like he’s an android.

Does anyone think playing bumper pool with asteroids is a good idea? We don’t want to go the way of the dinosaur by accident, do we?

I wonder how he’ll hurt just his spleen?

“AAAA, my as…teroid!”

(¬_¬)

Dodge Dart?

His spleen could deflect anything.

Speeding up an asteroid to widen its orbit would work just as well. An actual experiment is required to determine how much of the impact gets turned into heat rather than velocity change.

Soon to be renamed as Spill Poor Little Ensign’s Entrails Netherward…

Dr. Mel didn’t exspleen how Winky will redirect the asteroid.

Ow! His spleen!

And I thought they’d send Bruce Willis to saves the day.

And where’s that lazy show-off alien saviour of the world Superman? Goofing off with Louis again? Isn’t this asteroid business his job? He never there when he’s needed.

Sorry – skipped reading this one. You broke the limit of allowable (and attention holding) text allowed in a daily panel. Unless you are Ripley’s….

Future newscaster: “Well, it seems there was a slight miscalculation on the asteroid redirection. Instead of it crashing into us in 30 years, how does Tuesday sound?”

We must also remember that an impact to divert a potential cataclysm may bring about a worse disaster when the comet or asteroid or whatever is diverted into the path of and collides with another body that would otherwise have missed Earth, but due to the diversion slams full-force into Bakersfield….

I don’t think Winky is the brightest bulb in the flash cube….