Asteroid may hit Earth but don't panic yet

LONDON (AP) -- Astronomers are carefully monitoring a newly discovered 1.2-mile-wide (2 km) asteroid to see whether it is on a collision course with Earth.

Initial calculations indicate there is a chance the asteroid — known as 2002 NT7 — will hit the Earth on February 1, 2019. But scientists said Wednesday that the calculations are preliminary and the risk to the planet is low.

"The threat is very minimal," Donald Yeomans, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. "An object of this size would be expected to hit the Earth every few million years, and as we get additional data I think this threat will go away."

The object was detected on July 9 by the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research Project in New Mexico. It orbits the sun every 837 days, and NASA scientists predict its path could intersect with the Earth's orbit. But they say more observations over the coming months will help them plot its course more accurately.

NASA's Near Earth Object program gives the asteroid a rating of "0" on the Torino impact hazard scale — within a range of "events meriting careful monitoring," but not concern.

However, the discovery has provided more ammunition for those who say humans should take the risk posed by space objects more seriously.

"There's a good chance this particular object won't hit us, but we know that a large object will hit us sooner or later," said British lawmaker Lembit Opik, who has long warned of the danger posed by asteroids.

NASA estimates that asteroids big enough to cause catastrophic destruction could theoretically hit Earth every million years, or at longer intervals.

Last month an asteroid the size of a soccer field missed the Earth by 75,000 miles — less than one-third of the distance to the moon in one of the closest known approaches by objects of its size. Scientists said if it had hit a populated area, it would have released as much energy as a large nuclear weapon.



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I hope you haven't really missed this, but I had to make sure. Here's the original source for the document anyway:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/0....ap/index.html

well, there is a less than 1% chance of it hitting us, but it could "destroy civilization as we now it" says Thomas Morgan, NASA reaserch scientist

we gotta build a big nuke and blow it in 2 peices so that it will go OVER the top and bottem of the earth! =0

We must drive a rocket into it.

This remind me of Artmageddon

anyone up for an orgy?

Let's start a cult and "enjoy life" while it lasts.

Lets just send the swedish army to stop it. jeeze why didnt you guys think of that.

If it hit the water then we'd all be crushed!

then we must send Chruser so we dont get Crushed

Well, since we're all gonna die anyway, I'm spending this month's paycheck on hookers and beer...hmmm...or maybe just hookers.

Originally posted by Raziel Well, since we're all gonna die anyway, I'm spending this month's paycheck on hookers and beer...hmmm...or maybe just hookers.

your a little slow... ive been doing that every month for the last 18 years

you know even tho this is a risk, the chances are STILL just
0.033% .... soo umm =p

I don't beleive in chances that way. Either it happens (100%) or it doesn't (0%). Either you win or lose, there are no other factors involved.

Ill go for the cult thing!

Yeah, let's start a Zelaron cult. We should talk about it on IRC

okay! But lets not make our own god, I already have one

Originally posted by Jamesadin okay! But lets not make our own god, I already have one

ME