La Canada Flintridge (CA) - Researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, part of NASA's Neart-Earth Object Program, who jokingly refer to themselves as "the Solar System Defense Team", are tracking a 160 foot diameter asteroid that has a 1 in 75 chance of striking Mars.  The asteroid, dubbed 2007 WD5, is currently behind the moon.  When it emerges in two weeks, scientists will be able to get a better fix on its trajectory and determine the revised probability of impact.


According to one of the researchers, typically the odds they look at for solar system strikes are a million to one.  Anytime they have something that's 100 to 1 or less, they sit up straight and tall in their chairs and take notice.  And whereas normally they hope against the asteroid striking the surface (when Earth is in the cross-hairs), this time they're totally behind the idea of it impacting upon the surface of Mars--especially so with so many NASA assets ready to take front-row pictures.

Currently the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is mapping Mars, and the Spirit and Opportunity rovers are on the surface preparing for a cold winter (see previous TGDaily.com coverage on Spirit and Opportunity).  This would be the first time that humans have significant assets in place to observe a potentially devastating crash.  In 1908 in Siberia, Russia, a similar sized asteroid broke up in the atmosphere and rained debris over an 830 square mile area, knocking down over 80 million trees.  It was the largest impact with the Earth in recent history.

With the thin Martian atmosphere, the asteroid will likely make it all the way to the surface, creating an impact crater 1/2 mile wide when it strikes.  NASA will likely be able to get some high-gloss 8-1/2" x 11" photos of the asteroid as it passes through the atmosphere and impacts upon the surface.

Read more ... LA Times.
 
 

asteroid.

Dec 21, 2007 19:05     

it is amazing and awesome what goes on in space. but i wonder about what is called the luficer project, NASA does not want to talk about that, it is suppose to happen in july 2008. has anyone heard about this??
sage report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

scary concept

Dec 21, 2007 19:52     

but cant wait for the cool pics and videos to emerge lets get more cameras ready imo
skythra report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Your headline is false!

Dec 21, 2007 19:58     

A 1 in 75 chance of a collision does not make it a possibility! Also, the orbit for this asteroid is not well known. [A 1 in 500 billion chance makes it a possibility. -Rick] Please state the facts and refrain from hype! Check this: www.spaceweather.com
pas report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

You state the Russia incident cause as though it's ...

Dec 21, 2007 21:46     

You state the Russia incident cause as though it's a matter of fact. The problem with that theory is that there are no sediment samples or any other empirical data’s that support that cause of the event. I invite the other readers to do their research.
Latimer the cat report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

It's not a plain natural space rock. It's an invasi...

Dec 22, 2007 00:41     

It's not a plain natural space rock. It's an invasion of alien bacteria looking to colonize mars.
Virtualban report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Just a small correction

Dec 22, 2007 02:58     

The Siberian meteor did NOT impact the earth, it exploded before it hit. This stuff is really cool though. I love astonomical phenomenon. J
Jack H report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Tunguska asteroid still speculation

Dec 22, 2007 09:03     

That is one guess among several of the Tunguska event - Latimer is right.
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Title is misleading ...

Dec 22, 2007 10:30     

Your title is misleading ... a 1 in 75 chance means what it means ... "possible" collision course is more accurate.
Joe Alien report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

how can the moon hide an asteroid?

Dec 22, 2007 10:31     

I am puzzled over how the moon can cover something up for more than a few hours? Over two weeks the moon goes from full to new, about 180 degrees difference in the sky. What asteroid would keep up with that pace? [It's very far away, and the moon's movement can track with the much faster asteroid for longer. -Rick]
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Mars could some bulk

Dec 22, 2007 11:29     

Most of Mars' inhabitability problems come down to a lack of mass. It can't hold water and atmosphere, and perhaps with more surface mass, the core would compact. I guess iron cores have to be made in some sort of nuclear reaction, so more mass wouldn't solve its lack of magneto problem (to protect its atmosphere and life from solar winds). But Venus doesn't seem to have an iron core, and yet it hangs onto its atmosphere admirably. A thicker atmosphere would make a higher temperature, which could generate liquid water -- oceans.

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Mr

Dec 22, 2007 11:45     

I am a little uncomfortable with any asteroid hitting any planet in our solar system re possible domino effects etc Sam
Sam report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

fake

Dec 22, 2007 12:53     

This article is a sham.
Eric report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

weird

Dec 23, 2007 14:57     

Something is strange here. I can understand how this asteroid could be behind the moon in it's present position. But every day the moon's position relative to earth changes by about 30 degrees. So how could this thing stay behind the moon for two weeks? By then the moon and the sun will be in the daytime sky near one another.
j d report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

160ft...

Dec 23, 2007 17:06     

impressive that it can be tracked, but unimpressive on size. I want a 1/2 mile wide impact to shake that place up!
sam report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Re: Mars could use some bulk

Dec 24, 2007 00:01     

Bulk isn't the reason Mars has a weak atmosphere. There are moons smaller than Mars that orbit other planets and have a much more substantial atmosphere. An asteroid is not going to cause Mars to grow to a significantly larger size anyway.
Task report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

The marsians are back.

Dec 26, 2007 17:03     

run!
andy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

re: Rick and Sam

Dec 29, 2007 09:09     

Rick: Hate to rain on your parade - a 1 in 500 billion chance is MUCH smaller than a 1 in 75 chance. 1 in 75 means a good possibility of impact, 1 in 500 BILLON would mean a highly unlikely possibility. Sam: a 160ft asteroid hitting Mars is not enough to do anything much outside the impact zone other than to put on one hell of a show.
Optimus report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Optimus is right!

Jan 03, 2008 17:19     

Most of you guys... Asteroids have hit Mars since time immortal. Remember the Mars meteor they found a few years back. Why would anyone worry about such an event? The physics of the universe are beyond our control for now. Nothing we could do, except watch.
Dave report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

quick sales

Jan 05, 2008 18:58     

For sale ,undeveloped lot in impact zone.
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If you are concerned with asteroids threatening you...

Oct 21, 2008 21:13     

If you are concerned with asteroids threatening your family and your assets, you can join a group of individuals and corporations which hold the same concern as you. The Global Asteroid Protection Society - Stoprocks.com
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