Scientists seek ways to ward off killer asteroids

Dantheman62 · 12-18-2008, 09:08 PM

WASHINGTON — A blue-ribbon panel of scientists is trying to determine the best way to detect and ward off any wandering space rocks that might be on a collision course with Earth.

``We're looking for the killer asteroid,'' James Heasley , of the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy , last week told the committee that the National Academy of Sciences created at Congress' request.

Congress asked the academy to conduct the study after astronomers were unable to eliminate an extremely slight chance that an asteroid called Apophis will slam into Earth with devastating effect in 2036.

Apophis was discovered in 2004 about 17 million miles from Earth on a course that would overlap our planet's orbit in 2029 and return seven years later. Observers said that the asteroid — a massive boulder left over from the birth of the solar system — is about 1,000 feet wide and weighs at least 50 million tons.

After further observations, astronomers reported that the asteroid would skim by Earth harmlessly in 2029, but it has a one in 44,000 probability of slamming into our planet on Easter Sunday , April 13, 2036 .

Small changes in Apophis' path that could make the difference between a hit or a miss are possible, according to Jon Giorgini , a planetary analyst in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif
More than 5,000 near Earth objects, including 789 potentially hazardous objects, have been identified so far. Johnson predicted that future surveys will find at least 66,000 near Earth objects and 18,000 potentially hazardous objects.

A collision with one or more of these many objects littering the solar system is inevitable, Johnson said. ``Once every hundred years there might be something to worry about, but it could happen tomorrow.''

For example, astronomers had only 24 hours' notice of a small asteroid that blew up over northern Africa on Oct. 7 . A larger, more dangerous object presumably would be spotted years or decades ahead, giving humans time to change its course before it hit.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20...latchy/3125382

12-18-2008, 09:08 PM	#1
Dantheman62 Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: So. Cal. U.S. Posts: 4,205	Scientists seek ways to ward off killer asteroids WASHINGTON — A blue-ribbon panel of scientists is trying to determine the best way to detect and ward off any wandering space rocks that might be on a collision course with Earth. ``We're looking for the killer asteroid,'' James Heasley , of the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy , last week told the committee that the National Academy of Sciences created at Congress' request. Congress asked the academy to conduct the study after astronomers were unable to eliminate an extremely slight chance that an asteroid called Apophis will slam into Earth with devastating effect in 2036. Apophis was discovered in 2004 about 17 million miles from Earth on a course that would overlap our planet's orbit in 2029 and return seven years later. Observers said that the asteroid — a massive boulder left over from the birth of the solar system — is about 1,000 feet wide and weighs at least 50 million tons. After further observations, astronomers reported that the asteroid would skim by Earth harmlessly in 2029, but it has a one in 44,000 probability of slamming into our planet on Easter Sunday , April 13, 2036 . Small changes in Apophis' path that could make the difference between a hit or a miss are possible, according to Jon Giorgini , a planetary analyst in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif More than 5,000 near Earth objects, including 789 potentially hazardous objects, have been identified so far. Johnson predicted that future surveys will find at least 66,000 near Earth objects and 18,000 potentially hazardous objects. A collision with one or more of these many objects littering the solar system is inevitable, Johnson said. ``Once every hundred years there might be something to worry about, but it could happen tomorrow.'' For example, astronomers had only 24 hours' notice of a small asteroid that blew up over northern Africa on Oct. 7 . A larger, more dangerous object presumably would be spotted years or decades ahead, giving humans time to change its course before it hit. http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20...latchy/3125382