Large Asteroid Passes Close to Earth

[DJ aka GDR DJ]

Large Asteroid Passes Close to Earth

 

An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier has flown by Earth in the closest encounter by a massive space rock in more than 30 years.

The asteroid, named 2005 YU55, came within about 325,000 kilometers of the planet Tuesday evening (at 2328 UTC). The U.S. space agency, NASA, said there was no chance that the spherical rock would collide with Earth or the moon. The asteroid was traveling at more than 46,670 kilometers per hour. It passed closer to Earth than the moon.

The last time an object the size of the asteroid traveled so near to Earth was in 1976. Scientists say it will be 2028 before another space object this large will fly by the planet.

A scientist at the University of Arizona discovered the YU55 asteroid in 2005.

NASA scientists planned to bounce radio waves off the asteroid and analyze the radar echoes. Those images should reveal details about the rock's surface features.

YU55 is about 400 meters in diameter. Scientists believe it has been passing by Earth for thousands of years. It is one of about 8,500 near-Earth objects that NASA has catalogued.

 

Source

 

DJ

[=FIA=Chaotic]

Too bad you needed a telescope to see it. In 2028/29 we'll have another near hit, it'll probably be the same as what happened last night. I hope I can stay alive till 2061; Haley's comet will pass through our solar system again.

[Yatzithenazi]

This kinda stuff is scary, makes you think about how easier everything could just go boooooooom.

[PiNoY]

I have to frag as much as I can before these things occur lol

[epicofail]

This one was +100,000 mi away, but the one that will pass in 2029 is estimated to be 20,000 mi away.

Hopefully we'll be able to see it with naked eye and not need telescopes. :i

[ajnl]

world is gonna end in 2012 anyways, lol

[Quovadis]

I wonder what we could (or try) to do if we figure out that an asteroid is going to hit the earth.

[=FIA=Chaotic]

I wonder what we could (or try) to do if we figure out that an asteroid is going to hit the earth.

 

Not much I think.. We could launch all the worlds nukes at it, assuming we could hit an object traveling 35K mph. From what I garner it would be much worse trying to survive in the aftermath of a large asteroid impact.

 

I wonder if there are any planet sized asteroids?

[b0rR*4cHo]

<p>

<br>

I wonder what we could (or try) to do if we figure out that an asteroid is going to hit the earth.<br>

</p>

 

The actually was a show on discovery about this:

http://dsc.discovery.com/space/top-10/asteroid-stopping-technology/index-02.html

1. Nuke it

2. Hit it

3. Paint it (painting it white will cause the non-painted part to absorb more radiation pushing it away)

4. Attaching Solar Sails (same idea as 3 but the sails would allow us to control the direction)

5. Ensnare it (this one i don&#39;t really understand)

6. Point Mirrors at it (mirrors would reflect the sun at it melting a section causing vapor to give it thrust in a new direction)

7. Strap Rockets to it

8. Tow it with gravity (using a large spacecraft will influence the gravity and pull it in that direction)

9. Robots eat it (land on surface and begin grinding it away)

10. I will leave as a surprise!

 

[MadSilent]

There is always things flying around in space.

[ajnl]

<p></p>

 

The actually was a show on discovery about this:

http://dsc.discovery.com/space/top-10/asteroid-stopping-technology/index-02.html

1. Nuke it

2. Hit it

3. Paint it (painting it white will cause the non-painted part to absorb more radiation pushing it away)

4. Attaching Solar Sails (same idea as 3 but the sails would allow us to control the direction)

5. Ensnare it (this one i don&amp;#39;t really understand)

6. Point Mirrors at it (mirrors would reflect the sun at it melting a section causing vapor to give it thrust in a new direction)

7. Strap Rockets to it

8. Tow it with gravity (using a large spacecraft will influence the gravity and pull it in that direction)

9. Robots eat it (land on surface and begin grinding it away)

10. I will leave as a surprise!

 

I vote to eat it! Who's hungry!?

[JoeDirt]

I vote to eat it! Who's hungry!?

Can I get a side of fries and a large root beer?

[ajnl]

 

Can I get a side of fries and a large root beer?

 

That probably depends on the drive thru at NASA.