Kaboom. Cha-Ching.

I'm an astronomy buff. Armchair astronomer, no real formal training other than one course in college. I like to keep somewhat current on astronomy and space exploration. It's cool.
Yah yah yah, whatever. Get on with the post.

Well, NASA sent a prode to the comet Tempel-1:

"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 — 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."

That's right, they're going to send a probe to the comet and blast the hell out of it so they can take a look at the insides.

Well, someone's not happy:

'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.'

Some tree-hugging, whale-petting, earth-kissing, dope-smoking, granola-munching, comet-saving, lefty wingnut is being 'spiritually infringed upon' because we're tossing a load of dynamite at a big snowball floating around space millions of miles away, which is eventually going to be totally disintegrated in time anyway.

I guess anything to make a buck, huh?

I didn't know they had that sort of lefty dingbats in Russia. I learn something new every day.