Topic: Asteroid MAY hit Mars January 30th

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

It is an estimated 50 metres across, putting it in the same class as the Tunguska object that exploded over Siberia in 1908, flattening trees in an area extending many kilometres from the explosion.

Orbital calculations currently give the asteroid a 1 in 75 chance of hitting Mars on 30 January 2008. That risk is likely to decrease or go away altogether when further observations refine the object's orbit.

[The Bar-Abbas Anomaly]

 
OK, not THAT would be cool to see in my lifetime!

[Sirgod]

Damn Global Warming pulling asteroids into Mars path.

Stephen

[Vipre]

Damn Global Warming pulling asteroids into Mars path.

Stephen

+1 for blaming Global Warming and making me actually laugh out loud.

[Nemesis]

I hope it does happen.  Mars is a smaller target than the Earth and seeing it happen there might be the wake up call to make people realize it could happen here.  Imagine if such a rock had hit New York in the 1960s, what would have happened?  At least a comprehensive watch needs to be in place to let us know that if such a cosmic accident occurs it is not attack. 

Not to mention the sheer scientific interest in the results.  Both from the initial impact and the secondary impacts.  I expect some of the results to be surprising if it occurs and hope that there are good records made.  The type of rock (solid or rubble pile for example) would be revealed by the impact and very few asteroids are clearly known as to their constitution.

[Hexx]

Yes it'd be cool to see, but the down side is we'd have to spend the next 6 months listening to all the news channels and media showing oicture of what "might" happen
if one hit earth. And of course then we'd have 6 months of Stephen arguing that asteroids don't really exist, that it's all a UN plot... 

[The Postman]

     
 Near-Earth Asteroids   
 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time. 

On December 26, 2007 there were 912 potentially hazardous asteroids.
 

[jualdeaux]

Even if one was going to hit Earth we could always just send up a shuttle or two to blow it apart.

It would also be interesting to see if the Mars Rovers would be able to function (read transmit data) during and after the hit.

[Nemesis]

Even if one was going to hit Earth we could always just send up a shuttle or two to blow it apart.

Too bad that works better in the theater than in the skies.

[jualdeaux]

Even if one was going to hit Earth we could always just send up a shuttle or two to blow it apart.

Too bad that works better in the theater than in the skies.

You mean that wasn't real? I thought everything that comes out of Hollywood is real, especially the documentaries.

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

Since when can a shuttle take off on schedule reliably anyway? 

[Tus-XC]

Since when can a shuttle take off on schedule reliably anyway? 

when there isn't a bueacracy involved...

[Nemesis]

Since when can a shuttle take off on schedule reliably anyway? 

when there isn't a bueacracy involved...

Never?

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

The chance that a rogue mini-world — asteroid 2007 WD5 — will smack into Mars on January 30th has increased from 1.3 percent to 3.9 percent.

[The Postman]

NO IMPACT: NASA scientists tracking asteroid 2007 WD5 say it will not hit Mars on Jan. 30th. "The impact probability has dropped dramatically, to approximately 0.01% or 1 in 10,000 odds, effectively ruling out the possible collision," according to an update issued yesterday by JPL's Near Earth Object Program Office: full story.

[AlchemistiD]

NO IMPACT: NASA scientists tracking asteroid 2007 WD5 say it will not hit Mars on Jan. 30th. "The impact probability has dropped dramatically, to approximately 0.01% or 1 in 10,000 odds, effectively ruling out the possible collision," according to an update issued yesterday by JPL's Near Earth Object Program Office: full story.

On a distantly related note, according to foreign correspondent Al Wilhelblamarkavamamamasenaramas, the Duchy of Olympus Mons announced to a crowded Slapalarpadarbacancan hall that global warming on Mars is not supported by any scientific data.

[Nemesis]

I'm not surprised but I am disappointed.  Maybe I'll get lucky and it will hit one of the moons instead.