ESA selects targets for asteroid-deflecting mission Don Quijote

ESA Homepage ^ | 26 September 2005 | Andrés Gálvez

[MHalblaub]

Don Quijote is an asteroid investigation , geophysical characterisation and deflection technological experiment mission. The mission will contain the following elements:

* Two spacecraft which are to be launched in separate interplanetary trajectories.

* One spacecraft, which will be referred to as Hidalgo, will impact an asteroid of approximately 500 m diameter at a relative speed of at least 10 km/s.

* The other spacecraft, called Sancho, will arrive earlier at the same asteroid along a very different route, perform a rendez-vous and remain in orbit around the asteroid for several months before and after the impact.

* Sancho will also deliver a number of penetrators to form a seismometernetwork on the asteroid.

* At the time of the impact, Sancho will retreat to a safe distance to observe the impact without taking unnecessary risk (with an attitude appropriate to its name)

* It will later return to a close orbit, to observe the changes in the asteroid internal structure, shape, orbit and rotation state of the asteroid.

[MHalblaub]

More to be found at http://www.esa.int/gsp/NEO/quijote/quijote.htm

[mtbopfuyn]

Only thing is Quiote was off his rocker and couldn't hit the side of a windmill. Doesn't give much confidence in this mission.

[Redcloak]

Don Quixote... Sancho and Hidalgo... LOL!

It's nice to know that at least a few Europeans still have a sense of humor.

[agere_contra]

It's the ESA, so I won't offend too many Freepers if I say that "Hidalgo" and "Sancho" sound like wussy names chosen by committee.

"Don Quijote" - pah! I think a mission to a huge mass of nickel/iron moving at Mach 10 should be called something cool like "Nostromo" or "Heart of Darkness" - they shoul d have used Conrad rather than Cervantes.

[agere_contra]

Make that Mach 30. Ouch!

[MARKUSPRIME]

Nasa already did this with a comet.

[RightWhale]

"Sancho"

Sancho was the sane one.

[RightWhale]

Nasa already did this with a comet.

ESA's mission is the next evolutionary step.

[silverleaf]

Sounds like they are getting ready for 1999 AN10

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news018.html

[MHalblaub]

They are not only going after 1999 AN10. They are also going to find the more dangerous still hidden ones.
http://www.esa.int/gsp/NEO/euneos/euneos.htm

[SunkenCiv]

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	Posted by bedolido On News/Activism 06/16/2003 6:55:33 AM PDT · 86 replies · 362+ views Pravda | 06/11/03 | Staff Writer 1950DA asteroid will fly near Earth in 2880. What will happen, if it collides with planet Earth? American scientists have already simulated the situation. The asteroid was first discovered 53 years ago. It is the only space rock of the many thousands discovered so far, which is considered to be a potential threat to Earth. According to recent calculations, the giant asteroid might collide with planet Earth on Saturday, March 16th, 2880. Dr Steven Ward and Dr Erik Asphaug of the University of California at Santa Cruz conducted a detailed computer simulation of the collision with 1950DA. The results of...
'Asteroid Impact Could Have Prompted Constantine's Conversion'
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 06/18/2003 4:45:56 PM PDT · 33 replies · 307+ views Ananova | 6-18-2003 'Asteroid impact could have prompted Constantine's conversion' An asteroid which exploded like a nuclear bomb may have converted the Roman emperor Constantine to Christianity it is now being claimed. Scientists have discovered an impact crater dating from the fourth of fifth century in the Italian Apennine mountains. They believe the crater in the Sirente mountains, which is larger than a football field, could explain the legend of Constantine's conversion. Accounts from the 4th century describe how barbarians stood at the gates of the Roman empire while a Christian movement threatened its stability from within. It is said the emperor saw...
Asteroids Named for Columbia Astronauts
	Posted by anymouse On News/Activism 08/06/2003 9:32:06 PM PDT · 2 replies · 112+ views Associated Press | Wed Aug 6, 6:59 PM ET Seven asteroids circling the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter are being named for the astronauts who died in the space shuttle Columbia accident, officials announced Wednesday. Astronauts Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and Laurel Clark of NASA (news - web sites) and Ilan Ramon of Israel died on Feb. 1 when Columbia broke up while returning to Earth from a 16-day orbital mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. proposed naming the asteroids for the astronauts. The plan was approved by the International Astronomical Union and announced on Wednesday by the...
OrbDev Appeals To State Dept For Eros Rent Ruling
	Posted by RightWhale On News/Activism 08/28/2003 8:49:43 AM PDT · 1 reply · 54+ views spacedaily.com | 28 Aug 03 | staff OrbDev Appeals To State Dept For Eros Rent Ruling Carson City - Aug 28, 2003 Orbital Development reports that it has received an official response from the United States Department of State in regard to that company’s "Eros Project" which was initiated to establish official respect for property rights in Space. Orbital Development, in the course of its Eros Project , has claimed and owns Asteroid 433 Eros since 03 March, 2000. On 12 February, 2001 the United States landed the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft on the privately owned planetoid, prompting OrbDev to send an invoice to NASA for parking &...
OrbDev Appeals To State Dept For Eros Rent Ruling (Company claims asteroid)
	Posted by Brett66 On News/Activism 08/28/2003 3:25:47 PM PDT · 16 replies · 68+ views Spacedaily | 8/28/03 OrbDev Appeals To State Dept For Eros Rent Ruling On 12 February, 2001 the United States landed the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft on the privately owned planetoid, prompting OrbDev to send an invoice to NASA for parking & storage fees totaling $20.00 for one hundred years storage. Carson City - Aug 28, 2003 Orbital Development reports that it has received an official response from the United States Department of State in regard to that company’s "Eros Project" which was initiated to establish official respect for property rights in Space. Orbital Development, in the course of its Eros Project, has claimed and owns...
Asteroid warning for 2014 [Odds of collision - 1 in 909,000]
	Posted by HAL9000 On News/Activism 09/01/2003 10:25:46 PM PDT · 33 replies · 107+ views BBC News | September 2, 2003 The British agency responsible for identifying potentially hazardous asteroids says US astronomers are warning of a possible collision in 2014. The UK Government's Near Earth Object Centre says American astronomers have discovered a large, fast-approaching asteroid that could hit the earth on 21 March, 2014. But they add the chances of it doing so are just 1 in 909,000. What is more, any risk of an impact is likely to decrease as further data is gathered, they say. Credible threat The BBC's science correspondent Christine McGourty says that, although the chances this asteroid will hit the Earth are slim, it...
Asteroid may hit Planet Earth on March 21, 2014.
	Posted by bedolido On News/Activism 09/02/2003 6:39:19 AM PDT · 166 replies · 746+ views SkyNews | 09/02/03 | Staff Writer Scientists monitoring an asteroid have warned it could collide with Earth in just over a decade. The newly discovered asteroid, known as 2003 QQ47, is around two-thirds of a mile wide and has been classified as "an event meriting careful monitoring" by astronomers. It is around one tenth fo the size of the meteor that is thought to have wiped out dinosaurs on Earth 65 million years ago. In the event of it hitting the Earth, the rock would have the force of 350,000 mega tonnes - around eight million times more powerful than the bomb dropped at Hiroshima at...
Giant Asteroid Could Hit Earth in 2014
	Posted by anymouse On News/Activism 09/02/2003 1:11:02 PM PDT · 107 replies · 1,254+ views CNN/Reuters | September 2, 2003 <p>A giant asteroid is heading for Earth and could hit in 2014, U.S. astronomers have warned British space monitors.</p> <p>But for those fearing Armageddon, don't be alarmed -- the chances of a catastrophic collision are just one in 909,000.</p> <p>Asteroid "2003 QQ47" will be closely monitored over the next two months. Its potential strike date is March 21, 2014, but astronomers say that any risk of impact is likely to decrease as further data is gathered.</p>
Potentially Hazardous Asteroid Given Torino 1 Rating
	Posted by Young Werther On News/Activism 09/02/2003 3:27:00 PM PDT · 27 replies · 634+ views SpaceRef.com | Sept 02, 2003 | NEO Information Center A potential asteroid impact on 21 March 2014 has been given a Torino hazard rating of 1, defined as "an event meriting careful monitoring". The newly discovered 1.2 km wide asteroid, known to scientists as 2003 QQ47, has a mass of around 2 600 billion kg, and would deliver around 350 000 MT of energy in an impact with Earth.
Asteroid update: End of world on hold
	Posted by presidio9 On News/Activism 09/05/2003 10:29:33 AM PDT · 16 replies · 46+ views CNN | Friday, September 5, 2003 | Richard Stenger <p>A newly discovered asteroid has zero chance of colliding with Earth in 11 years, although preliminary data had suggested such a doomsday scenario was possible, astronomers said this week.</p> <p>New data allowed a more refined projection of the orbit of the space rock, dubbed 2003 QQ47 -- ruling out more than a dozen possible strike dates, according to the Near Earth Objects Information Center.</p>
Some things you don't want to know
	Posted by Grig On News/Activism 09/08/2003 8:26:59 AM PDT · 11 replies · 60+ views The Daily Telegraph via the National Post | Monday, September 08, 2003 | Tom Utley I cannot think of a nicer way to die than being struck on the head by a huge asteroid, without warning, obliterated in the twinkling of an eye, along with all my near and dear and most of the rest of humanity. Nobody would be left to grieve for me, and that instantaneous oblivion would leave me no time to grieve for those whom I love. Ah, to cease upon the midnight with no pain. Waydago. I say "without warning" because a warning would completely destroy the beauty of the Asteroid-Death Experience. It is fine by me if the world...
Row erupts over asteroid press scare
	Posted by bedolido On General/Chat 09/18/2003 10:37:34 AM PDT · 2 replies · 52+ views New Scientist | 09/18/03 | Anil Ananthaswamy Astronomers have been so horrified by press scares over asteroids that they are toning down the scale they use to rate the threat posed in an attempt to discourage journalists from covering potential collisions. The most prominent recent furore involved asteroid QQ47, which briefly had a one-in-a-million chance of crashing into our planet in 2014. Some astronomers even want the way asteroids are assessed to be completely overhauled. The Torino scale, developed in 1999 by Rick Binzel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is used to inform the public about potential impacts. It rates an asteroid's threat on a scale...
Meteorite wrecks houses in India
	Posted by scotslad On News/Activism 09/28/2003 12:18:54 PM PDT · 88 replies · 175+ views bbc At least 20 people are reported to have been injured after a meteorite crashed to Earth in eastern India. Reports say hundreds of people in the state of Orissa panicked when the fireball streamed across the sky. Burning fragments were said to have fallen over a wide area, destroying several houses. An official in Orissa said the authorities were assessing the damage and trying to recover what was left of the meteor. Reports from Orissa said windows rattled as the meteor passed overhead. "It was all there for just a few seconds but it was like daylight everywhere," one resident...
Closest Asteroid Yet Flies Past Earth
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 10/03/2003 8:37:27 AM PDT · 42 replies · 108+ views New Scientist | 10-3-2003 | Jeff Hecht Closest asteroid yet flies past Earth 18:17 02 October 03 NewScientist.com news service An asteroid about the size of a small house passed just 88,000 kilometres from the Earth by on Saturday 27 September - the closest approach of a natural object ever recorded. Geostationary communication satellites circle the Earth 42,000km from the planet's centre. The asteroid, designated 2003 SQ222, came from inside the Earth's orbit and so was only spotted after it had whizzed by. The first sighting was on Sunday 28 by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search program in Arizona, US. Amateur astronomer Peter Birtwhistle of Great...
Preparing for The Big One.
	Posted by Ogmios On News/Activism 10/05/2003 10:10:28 AM PDT · 29 replies · 51+ views BBC | February 14, 2003 | By Jonathan Amos Monsters from space: Would we want to know? Should we be told if a monster rock is heading our way? Researchers wrestled with this question on Friday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Denver. Some suggested there was no point worrying the global population about its imminent demise. "If there is absolutely nothing you can do about it - you can't intercept it, you can't move people out of the way - then it makes no sense to incur social costs from whatever panic or overreaction there will be," argued Geoffrey...
Long-Lost Near-Earth Asteroid Spotted
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 10/16/2003 10:39:44 AM PDT · 39 replies · 88+ views New Scientist | 10-16-2003 | Jeff Hecht Long-lost near-Earth asteroid spotted 17:35 16 October 03 NewScientist.com news service A large and potentially hazardous asteroid that went missing for almost 66 years ago was re-discovered by astronomers on Wednesday morning. The good news is that its next fly-by, on 4 November, will miss the Earth by a relatively comfortable seven million kilometres. Asteroid 1937 UB, later dubbed Hermes, set a record for closest recorded approach to the Earth on 30 October 1937. The record lasted for 50 years. Hermes is one to two kilometres in diameter and would cause global devastation if it hit the planet. So, given...
Mystery Asteroid, Hermes, May Have a Partner
	Posted by Pyro7480 On News/Activism 10/23/2003 1:58:58 PM PDT · 13 replies · 66+ views Space.com (Yahoo!) | 10/21/2003 | Robert Roy Britt Astronomers have apparently discovered an interesting twist to one of the greatest asteroid mysteries of all time. Hermes, a space rock lost to science for 66 years and recently rediscovered, could actually be a pair of orbiting asteroids, new radar observations suggest. Hermes had not been seen since its 1937 discovery until found anew in a collaborative effort last week. Once Hermes was recovered, astronomers around the world began observing it to take advantage of its relative proximity. The latest look at Hermes, also named 1937 UB, comes from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The radar observations were made...
The Curious Tale of Asteroid Hermes (Look up this week and watch asteroid sail by!)
	Posted by mhking On News/Activism 11/03/2003 2:41:03 PM PST · 29 replies · 107+ views RedNova.com | 11.3.03 For the next few days backyard astronomers can see for themselves the long lost asteroid Hermes. Science@NASA -- It's dogma now: an asteroid hit Earth 65 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs. But in 1980 when scientists Walter and Luis Alvarez first suggested the idea to a gathering at the American Association for Advancement of Sciences, their listeners were skeptical. Asteroids hitting Earth? Wiping out species? It seemed incredible. At that very moment, unknown to the audience, an asteroid named Hermes halfway between Mars and Jupiter was beginning a long plunge toward our planet. Six months later it...
DFU SONG: Everyone's Gone to the Moon (send Hillary to the moon)
	Posted by doug from upland On News/Activism 12/06/2003 11:34:34 AM PST · 14 replies · 36+ views DFU SONG PARODIES | 12-03 | Lyrics, Doug from Upland Rumors of a big announcement are in the air. It is expected that President Bush will announce we are going back to the moon. Mr. President, please take seriously this suggestion in musical form. ======================================== MIDI - EVERYONE'S GONE TO THE MOON Lunar adventure time is near...we'll stay the leader...that is clear I hope it launches by mid June...send Hillary to the moon She'll be forever...my first choice...I have grown weary...of her voice It would be quite an afternoon...send Hillary to the moon President Bush...give me a say Please make the trip just one way There could be danger in...
Asteroid 2003XJ7 flyby
	Posted by Orlando On News/Activism 12/06/2003 1:59:47 PM PST · 88 replies · 225+ views Spaceweather | 12-6-2003 | Orlando Discovered only yesterday, a small asteroid named 2003 XJ7 will fly by our planet today 150,000 km away--- barely 40 percent of the distance to the moon. Closest approach occurs at approximately 19:04hrs (UT) on Dec. 6th....The asteroid is small, about 20 meters wide, and fast moving......"
FReeper Predictions for 2004
	Posted by Momaw Nadon On News/Activism 12/30/2003 10:23:54 PM PST · 171 replies · 6,215+ views Free Republic | Wednesday, December 31, 2003 | Free Republic Happy New Year's Eve to all at Free Republic!!! Make your predictions for 2004. Good Luck!!!
Geology Picture of the Week, January 11-17, 2004: Sudbury, Ontario
	Posted by cogitator On News/Activism 01/13/2004 9:40:56 AM PST · 1 reply · 59+ views Earth Impact Database Link post: directing interested readers to the posting in the FR "chat" section -- please post your comments on that thread: Geology Picture of the Week, January 11-17, 2004
Earth almost put on impact alert
	Posted by GeraldP On News/Activism 02/24/2004 11:34:28 AM PST · 71 replies · 701+ views news.bbc.co.uk | Tuesday, 24 February, 2004, 17:33 GMT | Dr. David Whitehouse Some scientists believed on 13 January that a 30m object, later designated 2004 AS1, had a one-in-four chance of hitting the planet within 36 hours. It could have caused local devastation and the researchers contemplated a call to President Bush before new data finally showed there was no danger. The procedures for raising the alarm in such circumstances are now being revised. At the time, the president's team would have been putting the final touches to a speech he was due to make the following day at the headquarters of Nasa, the US space agency. In it he planned to...
Earth almost put on impact alert
	Posted by Stoat On News/Activism 02/24/2004 10:30:57 PM PST · 148 replies · 308+ views BBC News | Tuesday, 24 February, 2004 | Dr David Whitehouse Earth almost put on impact alert By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor Astronomers have revealed how they came within minutes of alerting the world to a potential asteroid strike last month. Some scientists believed on 13 January that a 30m object, later designated 2004 AS1, had a one-in-four chance of hitting the planet within 36 hours. It could have caused local devastation and the researchers contemplated a call to President Bush before new data finally showed there was no danger. The procedures for raising the alarm in such circumstances are now being revised. At the time, the...
Scientists want to be ready to block asteroid from hitting Earth
	Posted by Stoat On News/Activism 02/25/2004 2:30:06 PM PST · 42 replies · 144+ views CNN | February 24, 2004 <p>GARDEN GROVE, California (AP) --The asteroid believed to have wiped out dinosaurs 65 million years ago was rare but hardly unique, say scientists gathered to discuss ways of aggressively defending our planet from another such space rock, including by detonating nukes in space.</p>
Heavenly body gives Bush a close call
	Posted by presidio9 On News/Activism 02/26/2004 2:42:23 PM PST · 57 replies · 387+ views The Guardian | Thursday February 26, 2004 | David Adam January 14 could have been a bad day for George Bush. As the president was preparing to announce America's return to the moon in a speech at the headquarters of Nasa, he was almost asked to deliver a very different message: that the Earth could suffer a devastating asteroid strike within 24 hours. Astronomers have revealed that during a "nine-hour crisis" the night before Mr Bush's speech they believed there was a one in four chance an asteroid would hit the planet in 36 hours. Had it not been for a break in the clouds that allowed an amateur astronomer...
Speaking of near-misses
	Posted by kattracks On News/Activism 02/26/2004 10:20:05 PM PST · 2 replies · 42+ views Washington Times | 2/27/04 <p>The day before the president addressed NASA in January, outlining a new direction in manned space flight, astronomers detected a large asteroid that appeared to be headed straight toward Earth. Further studies showed that the Near Earth Object (NEO) would miss by a wide margin, as it eventually did. Who knew?</p>
Report questions role of Mexico crater in mass extinction
	Posted by yonif On News/Activism 03/01/2004 3:54:21 PM PST · 10 replies · 181+ views WQAD | March 1, 2004 | AP Washington-AP -- New research casts doubt on the theory that a single asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. Scientists have often pointed to a crater in Mexico as the asteroid's impact point. But Princeton University researchers say the impact that caused the crater occurred 300-thousand years before the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 (m) million years ago. A report appears in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. At least one scientist doubts the group's findings. Richard Norris of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography says the Princeton researchers were working with incorrect site data.
Dinosaur impact theory challenged
	Posted by Indy Pendance On News/Activism 03/01/2004 7:13:19 PM PST · 25 replies · 160+ views BBC | 3-1-04 | Paul Rincon Scientists may have destroyed the well-established theory that a single, massive asteroid strike killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. New data suggests the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, supposedly created by the collision, predates the extinction of the dinosaurs by about 300,000 years. The controversy over what killed the dinosaurs may run and run The authors say this impact did not wipe out the creatures, rather two or more collisions could have been responsible. The report is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. An international group of scientists led by Professor Gerta Keller, of Princeton University,...
Asteroid Theory of Dinosaur Extinction Questioned
	Posted by anymouse On News/Activism 03/01/2004 8:54:16 PM PST · 6 replies · 252+ views Reuters | Mon Mar 1, 2004 | Maggie Fox Scientists probing a vast crater off Mexico's Yucatan peninsula questioned a popular theory about dinosaurs on Monday, saying the collision that formed the crater happened too far back in time to have caused their extinction by itself. Much evidence points to the idea that an asteroid or comet gouged the Earth around 65 million years ago, triggering volcanic and climate changes that eventually wiped out the dinosaurs. When the huge, mostly underwater crater was found off Yucatan, it seemed the perfect candidate. "Since the early 1990s the Chicxulub crater on Yucatan, Mexico, has been hailed as the smoking gun that...
House Votes to Reward Asteroid Chasers
	Posted by LibWhacker On News/Activism 03/03/2004 4:51:59 PM PST · 19 replies · 55+ views The Miami Herald | 3/3/04 WASHINGTON - Amateur astronomers could receive awards of $3,000 for discovering and tracking near-Earth asteroids under legislation approved by the House Wednesday. "Given the vast number of asteroids and comets that inhabits Earth's neighborhood, greater efforts for tracking and monitoring these objects are critical," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., sponsor of the legislation that passed 404-1. Astronomers estimate there are between 900 and 1,100 near-Earth asteroids with a diameter of at least one kilometer - about six-tenths of a mile - or larger. Of those, nearly 700 already have been discovered and cataloged. Asteroids capable of inflicting damage on a...
Asteroid 2004 FH
	Posted by Orlando On News/Activism 03/17/2004 10:39:22 PM PST · 208 replies · 104+ views Spaceweather.com | 3/18/2004 | NASA Newly-discovered asteroid 2004 FH is going to fly-by our planet TODAY, March 18th , 2200 GMT) 5:08 pm, est. only 43,000 km , which is only 26,500 miles from Earth.
Astronomy Picture of the Day 10-15-03
	Posted by petuniasevan On General/Chat 10/15/2003 8:58:43 AM PDT · 4 replies · 54+ views NASA | 10-15-03 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 October 15 Space Rock SQ222 Noticed After Pass Credit & Copyright: LONEOS, Lowell Observatory Explanation: Why didn't we see it? An undetected asteroid zipped past the Earth undetected last month in the closest near miss yet recorded -- within a quarter of the distance to the Moon. Such a close call is actually quite common -- what was new was that we did see it, although the...
Astronomy Picture of the Day 03-22-04
	Posted by petuniasevan On General/Chat 03/21/2004 11:11:59 PM PST · 4 replies · 74+ views NASA | 03-22-04 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 March 22 Asteroid 2004 FH Whizzes By Credit & Copyright: S. Sposetti & R. Behrend (Geneva Obs.) Explanation: Last week, a small asteroid approached unusually close to the Earth. Asteroid 2004 FH posed no danger, but became bright enough to see with binoculars. Passing only 7 Earth radii away, this asteroid pass was the closest yet that was previously predicted, although it was discovered only two days...
The Politics of Armageddon (An asteroid could hit. What does POTUS do? - Why Presidents Gray)
	Posted by presidio9 On News/Activism 03/29/2004 6:54:04 AM PST · 21 replies · 83+ views National Review | March 29, 2004 | Dennis E. Powell You are the president of the United States, and you receive the phone call. "Mr. President," the person on the other end says, "there is a one-in-three chance that an asteroid more than 500 feet in diameter will strike somewhere in the northern hemisphere six days from now. We cannot be more precise, though we'll have better information in the next few days." You are the president of the United States. What do you do? Your science adviser tells you that if the rock hits the planet there is a better than even chance that it will come down in...
Big comet plunging toward our Sun
	Posted by Orlando On News/Activism 04/16/2004 1:17:04 PM PDT · 292 replies · 742+ views Spaceweather.com | 4-16-04 | Orlando Comet Bradfield is plunging toward the sun; at closest approach on April 17th it will be well inside the orbit of Mercury. Sun-approaching comets sometimes break-apart. Will Comet Bradfield survive? No one knows.
City-sized asteroid to pass Earth this fall
	Posted by ckilmer On News/Activism 05/05/2004 2:51:56 PM PDT · 26 replies · 80+ views space.com | posted: 06:30 am ET 03 May 2004 | Robert Roy Britt City-Sized Asteroid to Pass Earth This FallBy Robert Roy BrittSenior Science Writerposted: 06:30 am ET03 May 2004 A minor rumor has hatched on the Internet that a large and deadly asteroid will strike Earth this fall. Bulletin board discussions cite a 63 percent chance of impact, while concerned readers have e-mailed SPACE.com wondering if it is true.Astronomers know of no such impending doom.The rumors are likely rooted in a real event, however. On Sept. 29, 2004 an asteroid the size of a small city will make the closest known pass of such a very large space rock anytime this...
City-Sized Asteroid to Pass Earth This Fall
	Posted by missyme On News/Activism 05/15/2004 4:11:22 PM PDT · 77 replies · 216+ views Space.Com | May 3rd, 2004 | Robert Britt On Sept. 29, 2004 an asteroid the size of a small city will make the closest known pass of such a very large space rock anytime this century. Computer model based on radar data reveals different views of Toutatis. Note the shallow craters, linear ridges and a thin "neck" between two lobes. The neck my have been chipped away by impacts, or perhaps the lobes came together in a gentle collision. While not dangerous for now, asteroid Toutatis is incredibly strange. And scientists are quite familiar with it, having bounced radar off the tumbling stone on previous flybys to generate...
Dino impact gave Earth the chill
	Posted by TigerLikesRooster On News/Activism 06/01/2004 1:02:01 AM PDT · 30 replies · 837+ views BBC NEWS | 05/31/04 | N/A Dino impact gave Earth the chill A cloud of sulphate particles may have blocked out the sun's warmth Evidence has been found for a global winter following the asteroid impact that is thought to have killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Rocks in Tunisia reveal microscopic cold-water creatures invaded a warm sea just after the space rock struck Earth. The global winter was probably caused by a pollutant cloud of sulphate particles released when the asteroid vapourised rocks at Chicxulub, Mexico. The results are reported in the latest issue of the journal Geology. Italian, US and Dutch...
Study: Dinosaurs Died Within Hours After Asteroid Hit
	Posted by LibWhacker On News/Activism 07/08/2004 12:29:19 AM PDT · 192 replies · 4,458+ views University of Colorado News Center | May 24, 2004 According to new research led by a University of Colorado at Boulder geophysicist, a giant asteroid that hit the coast of Mexico 65 million years ago probably incinerated all the large dinosaurs that were alive at the time in only a few hours, and only those organisms already sheltered in burrows or in water were left alive. The six-mile-in-diameter asteroid is thought to have hit Chicxulub in the Yucatan, striking with the energy of 100 million megatons of TNT, said chief author and Researcher Doug Robertson of the department of geological sciences and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental...
Probe To 'Look Inside' Asteroids
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 07/28/2004 8:22:08 AM PDT · 27 replies · 500+ views BBC | 7-28-2004 | Paul Rincon Probe to 'look inside' asteroids By Paul Rincon BBC News Online science staff in Paris, France Studies of asteroids would aid Earth-protection strategies A new space mission concept unveiled at a Paris conference aims to look inside asteroids to reveal how they are made. Deep Interior would use radar to probe the origin and evolution of two near-Earth objects less than 1km across. The mission, which could launch some time later this decade, would also give clues to how the planets evolved. The perceived threat of asteroids colliding with our planet has renewed interest in space missions to understand these...
ASTEROID developments from August 10 - UNPRECEDENTED
	Posted by Truth666 On News/Activism 08/10/2004 3:59:24 AM PDT · 53 replies · 47,387+ views harvard.edu | August 10, 2004 After a time of 'silence', discoveries of so-called 'minor planets' came in a hurry today - astronomers detected at least 10 new objects in the last 24 hours. These discoveries are being reported to the Minor Planet Center (MPC) and being published on the so-called NEO confirmation page. Now have look on today's discoveries: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu Object AO89913 is very interesting, scroll back the ephemeridis by 67 hours and you will see a dramatic drop in "V" which describes brightness and a decreasing value in 'V' means increasing brightening. Further there was a huge increase in "motion" which describes sky-mechanical size...
Antarctic Craters Reveal Strike
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 08/23/2004 6:58:34 AM PDT · 107 replies · 1,804+ views BBC | 8-23-2004 Antarctic craters reveal strike The asteroid may have raised sea levels by up to 60cm Scientists have mapped enormous impact craters hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet using satellite technology. The craters may have either come from an asteroid between 5 and 11km across that broke up in the atmosphere, a swarm of comets or comet fragments. The space impacts created multiple craters over an area of 2,092km (1,300 miles) by 3,862km (2,400 miles). The scientists told a conference this week that the impacts occurred roughly 780,000 years ago during an ice age. When the impacts hit, they would have...
Asteroid Shaves Past Earth's Atmosphere
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 08/23/2004 7:21:30 AM PDT · 57 replies · 1,777+ views New Scientist | 8-23-2004 | Jeff Hecht Asteroid shaves past Earth's atmosphere 13:59 23 August 04 NewScientist.com news service The closest observed asteroid yet to skim past the Earth without hitting the atmosphere, was reported by astronomers on Sunday. The previously unknown object, spanning five to 10 metres across, has been named 2004 FU162. It streaked across the sky just 6500 kilometres - roughly the radius of the Earth - above the ground on 31 March, although details have only now emerged. The MIT Lincoln Laboratory's asteroid-hunting LINEAR telescope in Socorro, New Mexico,US, observed the new object four times over a 44-minute period, several hours before its...
In the shadow of the Moon
	Posted by SunkenCiv On General/Chat 08/31/2004 8:42:25 AM PDT · 42 replies · 628+ views New Scientist | 30 January 1999 | editors At 8.45 on the morning of 15 April 136 BC, Babylon was plunged into darkness when the Moon passed in front of the Sun. An astrologer, who recorded the details in cuneiform characters on a clay tablet, wrote: "At 24 degrees after sunrise-a solar eclipse. When it began on the southwest side, Venus, Mercury and the normal stars were visible. Jupiter and Mars, which were in their period of disappearance, became visible. The Sun threw off the shadow from southwest to northeast." If present-day astronomers use a computer to run the movements of the Earth, Moon and Sun backwards...
A Celestial Collision
	Posted by SunkenCiv On General/Chat 09/15/2004 9:04:28 AM PDT · 13 replies · 461+ views Alaska Science Forum | February 10, 1983 | Larry Gedney Early in the evening of June 18, 1178, a group of men near Canterbury, England, stood admiring the sliver of a new moon hanging low in the west. In terms they later described to a monk who recorded their sighting, "Suddenly a flaming torch sprang from the moon, spewing fire, hot coals and sparks." In continuing their description of the event, they reported that "The moon writhed like a wounded snake and finally took on a blackish appearance"... [P]lanetary scientist Jack Hartung of the State University of New York... gathered enough clues to suggest that a large asteroid... might have...
Gold Rush In Space (market value: $20trillion!!!!!!!)
	Posted by -=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=- On News/Activism 09/27/2004 9:16:57 AM PDT · 147 replies · 2,362+ views bbc | Thursday, July 22, 1999 | Dr David Whitehouse Gold rush in space? By BBC News Online Science Editor Dr David Whitehouse The most detailed study of an asteroid shows that it contains precious metals worth at least $20,000bn. The data were collected last December by the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (Near) spacecraft which passed close to the asteroid Eros. It provided an unprecedented look at one of the mountains of rock that fly around the solar system. The first conclusions from that encounter are now published the journal Science. Near, which due to a computer malfunction will not be able to go into orbit around Eros until next...
Huge asteroid to fly past Earth
	Posted by missyme On News/Activism 09/28/2004 2:32:10 PM PDT · 88 replies · 1,599+ views CNN | Sept 27th, 2004 SPACE.com -- The largest asteroid ever known to pass near Earth is making a close celestial brush with the planet this week in an event that professional and backyard astronomers are watching closely. The space rock, named Toutatis, will not hit Earth, despite rumors of possible doom that have circulated the Internet for months. Humanity is very fortunate there won't be an impact, as the asteroid is large enough to cause global devastation. Toutatis is about 2.9 miles long and 1.5 miles wide (4.6 by 2.4 kilometers). On September 29, Toutatis will be within a million miles of Earth, or...
More on Asteroid Toutatis Passing Earth Sept 29th, 2004
	Posted by missyme On News/Activism 09/28/2004 5:34:19 PM PDT · 170 replies · 2,733+ views Space.Com | Sept 28th, 2004 | Robert Britt A minor rumor has hatched on the Internet that a large and deadly asteroid will strike Earth this fall. Bulletin board discussions cite a 63 percent chance of impact, while concerned readers have e-mailed SPACE.com wondering if it is true. Astronomers know of no such impending doom. The rumors are likely rooted in a real event, however. On Sept. 29, 2004 an asteroid the size of a small city will make the closest known pass of such a very large space rock anytime this century. While not dangerous for now, asteroid Toutatis is incredibly strange. And scientists are quite familiar...
Huge asteroid to fly past Earth (Toutatis hoax - how and why)
	Posted by Truth666 On General/Chat 09/29/2004 5:00:09 AM PDT · 61 replies · 5,634+ views space.com | 04/09/29 HOW - 1. "actually you will not be able to see it ... " Spotting ToutatisToutatis will not be visible to the unaided eye. Experienced telescope users can see it now from the Southern Hemisphere, and in early October it will be visible from the north. Finding Toutatis will be challenging, Harris said, due to a combination of the asteroid's position in the sky and interfering moonlight. Because the asteroid is so close, its location in the sky will vary significantly for skywatchers in different places on Earth at any given moment. And because it moves quickly, the location changes...
Astronomers Chart Asteroid Threat
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 10/30/2004 7:38:57 AM PDT · 14 replies · 345+ views BBC | 10-30-2004 Astronomers chart asteroid threat The team will be tracking asteroids with high-performance telescopes A team of astronomers has stepped up a project which one day could help to preserve the Earth from annihilation. The team from Queen's University in Belfast is monitoring asteroids in space to see if they are on a collision course with our planet. Their crucial data will be fed into an international programme for protecting the Earth from any future impact. On average 30 to 40 Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) - asteroids or comets moving close to Earth - are found each month. High-performance telescopes More than...
Astronomy Picture of the Day 10-01-04
	Posted by petuniasevan On General/Chat 10/01/2004 3:21:27 AM PDT · 8 replies · 1,161+ views NASA | 10-01-04 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2004 October 1 Earth Nears Asteroid Toutatis Illustration Credit: E. De Jong and S. Suzuki, JPL, NASA Explanation: On Wednesday, September 29, the Earth came within one million miles of the asteroid Toutatis -- the closest predicted aproach of our fair planet to a sizable asteroid or comet in this century. Coming within one million miles or about 4 times the Earth-Moon distance, Earth would appear to be...
A meteor is coming and we're all going to die, British teacher tells pupils
	Posted by AM2000 On News/Activism 11/18/2004 6:10:13 PM PST · 48 replies · 1,212+ views Yahoo! News | Thu, Nov 18, 2004 | AFP LONDON (AFP) - A British schoolteacher, attempting to motivate her pupils into making the most of each day, told them a meteorite was about to smash into the Earth and that they should all return home to say goodbye to their families, a report said. The teacher at the high school in Manchester, northwest England, only realised her lecture was misjudged when many of the assembled teenagers started crying, the Sun newspaper said in its Friday edition. According to the report, the unnamed female teacher made the announcement to around 250 pupils at St Matthew's Roman Catholic High School during...
A Meteor Is Coming And We're All Going To Die, British Teacher Tells Students
	Posted by WestVirginiaRebel On News/Activism 11/18/2004 8:09:45 PM PST · 15 replies · 666+ views The Drudge Report | 11-19-04 | WestVirginiaRebel LONDON (AFP) A British schoolteacher, attempting to motivate her pupils into making the most of each day, told them a meteorite was about to smash into the Earth and that they should all return home to say goodbye to their families, a report said.
The Hazard of Near-Earth Asteroid Impacts on Earth
	Posted by SunkenCiv On General/Chat 12/02/2004 10:51:16 AM PST · 17 replies · 366+ views Frontiers | 4 March 2004 | Clark R. Chapman The actual damage that a NEA impact might cause on Earth was concretely described by Baldwin, a leading advocate for the impact origin of lunar craters. Later, Opik... proposed that NEA impacts might account for mass extinctions in the Earth's paleontological record. Around the same time, Shoemaker firmly established the impact origin of Meteor Crater in Arizona... [I]t was not only a cultural but a scientific shock when Mariner 4's first photographs of the Martian surface revealed it to be covered by craters; a decade later, Mariner 10 found the same on Mercury... In 1979 and 1980, the Voyagers first...
Small Asteroid Passes Between Satellites and Earth
	Posted by ckilmer On News/Activism 12/23/2004 6:32:27 AM PST · 60 replies · 1,183+ views science | 22 December 2004 | Robert Roy Britt Small Asteroid Passes Between Satellites and Earth By Robert Roy Britt Senior Science Writer posted: 22 December 2004 10:24 am ET Astronomers spotted an asteroid this week after it had flown past Earth on a course that took it so close to the planet it was below the orbits of some satellites. The space rock was relatively small, however, and would not have posed any danger had it plunged into the atmosphere. The object, named 2004 YD5, was about 16 feet (5 meters) wide, though that's a rough estimate based on its distance and assumed reflectivity. Had it entered the...
Small Asteroid Passes Between Satellites and Earth
	Posted by SunkenCiv On General/Chat 12/23/2004 7:36:30 AM PST · 8 replies · 213+ views Space dot com | 22 December 2004 | Robert Roy Britt The object, named 2004 YD5, was about 16 feet (5 meters) wide, though that's a rough estimate based on its distance and assumed reflectivity. Had it entered the atmosphere, it would have exploded high up, experts figure. The asteroid passed just under the orbits of geostationary satellites, which at 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) altitude are the highest manmade objects circling Earth. Most other satellites, along with the International Space Station, circle the planet at just a few hundred miles up... the second closest pass of an asteroid ever observed by telescope, according to the Asteroid/Comet Connection, a web site that...
Scientist: Asteroid May Hit Earth in 2029
	Posted by hole_n_one On News/Activism 12/23/2004 8:24:16 PM PST · 298 replies · 5,552+ views Yahoo/AP | 12/23/04 | JOHN ANTCZAK Scientist: Asteroid May Hit Earth in 2029 Thu Dec 23, 5:40 PM ET By JOHN ANTCZAK, Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES - There's a 1-in-300 chance that a recently discovered asteroid, believed to be about 1,300 feet long, could hit Earth in 2029, a NASA (news - web sites) scientist said Thursday, but he added that the perceived risk probably will be eliminated once astronomers get more detail about its orbit. There have been only a limited number of sightings of Asteroid 2004 MN4, which has been given an initial rating of 2 on the 10-point Torino Impact Hazard...
Near-Earth Asteroid 2004 MN4 Reaches Highest Score To Date On Hazard Scale
	Posted by Fitzcarraldo On News/Activism 12/24/2004 8:13:41 PM PST · 71 replies · 1,945+ views NASA JPL | December 24, 2004 | Don Yoemans Near-Earth Asteroid 2004 MN4 Don Yeomans, Steve Chesley and Paul Chodas NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office December 24, 2004 2004 MN4 is now being tracked very carefully by many astronmers around the world, and we continue to update our risk analysis (http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk) for this object. Today's impact monitoring results indicate that the impact probability for April 13, 2029 has risen to about 1.6%, which for an object of this size corresponds to a rating of 4 on the ten-point Torino Scale. Nevertheless, the odds against impact are still high, about 60 to 1, meaning that there is a better...
The End of the World??
	Posted by Nadd On General/Chat 12/26/2004 10:14:34 AM PST · 25 replies · 573+ views NADD.COM | 12.26.2004 | C-F NADD "Why do you care about politics? Why do you care about what is happening in the world around you? Most everyone seems to want a better world to live in and a better world for their posterity. Considering this, it seems natural that we as concerned citizens should be concerned with the potential of our world's demise. Asteroid '2004 MN4' is set to be headed towards planet Earth. We now know that there is now an approximately one-in-forty-five chance that it will hit us. Thanks to some number crunching a comrade of mine has done, I can report the following...
Asteroid With Chance of Hitting Earth in 2029 Now Being Watched 'Very Carefully' (1 in 43 odds)
	Posted by shadowman99 On News/Activism 12/26/2004 8:33:58 PM PST · 116 replies · 3,986+ views space.com | Update, Dec. 25, 9:47 p.m. ET | Robert Roy Britt Original story belowUpdate, Dec. 25, 9:47 p.m. ET: The risk of an impact by asteroid 2004 MN4 went up slightly on Saturday, Dec. 25. It is now pegged at having a 1-in -45 chance of striking the planet on April 13, 2029. That's up from 1-in-63 late on Dec. 24, and 1-in-300 early on Dec. 24. Astronomers still stress that it is very likely the risk will be reduced to zero with further observations. And even as it stands with present knowledge, the chances are 97.8 percent the rock will miss Earth.Update, Dec. 24, 10:19 p.m. ET: An asteroid that...
2029 Asteroid Impact Chance Revised Upwards to 1 in 37
	Posted by Strategerist On News/Activism 12/27/2004 9:12:32 AM PST · 131 replies · 3,264+ views NASA Near Earth Object Program http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov Impact Probability The calculation of impact probability involves the disciplines of orbital dynamics, estimation theory, and numerical analysis. The orbit of a comet or asteroid is determined from a set of observations (right ascension/declination coordinates). The observations are typically accurate to 0.5 arc-sec, although this can vary somewhat according to the pixel size used in the CCD detectors: some observatories have only 1.0 arc-sec accuracy. Because there are some errors in the observations, there will be uncertainties in the orbital determination for the object. The uncertainty in the orbital elements also depends on the number of observations and the...
Whew! Asteroid Won't Hit Earth in 2029, Scientists Now Say
	Posted by Willie Green On News/Activism 12/28/2004 10:10:07 AM PST · 46 replies · 917+ views Space.com | 27 December 2004 | Robert Roy Britt The world can exhale a collective sigh of relief. A newfound asteroid tagged with the highest warning level ever issued will not strike Earth, scientists said Monday. The giant space rock, named 2004 MN4, was said on Dec. 23 to have an outside shot at hitting the planet on April 13, 2029. The odds climbed as high as 1-in-37, or 2.7 percent, on Monday, Dec. 27. Researchers had flagged the object as one to monitor very carefully. It was the first asteroid to be ranked 4 on the Torino Scale, a Richter-like measure for potentially threatening space rocks. The asteroid...
Despite protests, U.S. ship begins sound wave research off Yucatan
	Posted by SmithL On News/Activism 01/21/2005 9:37:33 PM PST · 23 replies · 410+ views AP | 1/21/5 MEXICO CITY -- Scientists working off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula began using sound waves on Friday to search for information about an asteroid that may have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The research projected started despite concerns among environmental activists who say the technology could harm whales, sea turtles and several varieties of fish in the Gulf of Mexico. Mexican authorities say the project is within acceptable limits and will be closely monitored. Sergio Chan Lugo, the Yucatan state representative for Mexico's environmental protection agency, told local media the sound blasts began early Friday. The project includes marine...
Closest Flyby of Large Asteroid to be Naked-Eye Visible
	Posted by swilhelm73 On News/Activism 02/04/2005 3:00:36 PM PST · 21 replies · 743+ views Space.com | 04 February 2005 | Robert Roy Britt An asteroid expected to fly past Earth in 2029 will be visible to the naked eye, scientists projected Thursday. It's a once-in-a-millennium event. And you may want to buy plane tickets now, as the flyby will be visible only from Europe, Africa and western Asia. There has been no event like this in modern history. Some people have seen dramatic fireballs created by small space rocks blazing through Earth's atmosphere. And two house-sized asteroids have made closer passes. But they were not visible without telescopes. The 2029 event will be the closest brush by a good-sized asteroid known to occur....
Giant asteroid to make closest flyby of earth in recorded history (on April 13th, 2029)
	Posted by ajolympian2004 On News/Activism 02/15/2005 3:27:08 AM PST · 50 replies · 1,291+ views The New Zealand Herald | February 15th, 2005 | Steve Connor A giant asteroid the size of three football pitches will make the closest flyby of Earth in recorded history for an object of its size, scientists said. It will pass between the Earth and the Moon and will even come closer than the orbit of many telecommunications satellites, although astronomers insisted that there is little chance of a collision with the massive rock. Anxious Earthlings need not worry too much for another 24 years, however, because asteroid 2004 MN4 is not due to make its closest approach to Earth until approximately 10pm London time on Friday 13th April 2029. The...
An asteroid, headed our way
	Posted by Cincinatus' Wife On News/Activism 07/26/2005 12:42:15 AM PDT · 65 replies · 1,815+ views Christian Science Monitor | July 26, 2005 | Peter N. Spotts Humans live in a vast solar system where 2,000 feet seems a razor-thin distance. Yet it's just wide enough to trigger concerns that an asteroid due to buzz Earth on April 13, 2029 may shift its orbit enough to return and strike the planet seven years later. The concern: Within the object's range of possible fly-by distances lie a handful of gravitational "sweet spots," areas some 2,000 feet across that are also known as keyholes. The physics may sound complex, but the potential ramifications are plain enough. If the asteroid passes through the most probable keyhole, its new orbit would...
First Asteroid Trio Discovered (Don't know if they sing tenor)
	Posted by Red Badger On News/Activism 08/10/2005 12:00:31 PM PDT · 22 replies · 426+ views Space.com | 8/10/2005 | Robert Roy Britt An asteroid known to astronomers for more than a century has now been found to harbor two small satellites. It is the first asteroid trio ever discovered. And there may be more than three. The main asteroid, named 87 Sylvia, is one of the largest known to orbit the Sun in the main asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter. It is potato-shaped, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) in diameter and 235 miles (380 kilometers) long. It was discovered in 1866. The first moon was found four years ago and the second one was announced today. Asteroid moons common There are...
Hayabusa performed the Star Tracker imaging of Itokawa
	Posted by snowsislander On News/Activism 08/26/2005 1:49:21 AM PDT · 5 replies · 209+ views JAXA | August 15, 2005 For almost two years and three months after the launch in May of 2003, Hayabusa spacecraft has traveled a long journey by way of Earth gravity assist in May of 2004, and will make a worldÕs first low thrust rendezvous with a near-Earth asteroid Itokawa next month. Hayabusa performed the Star Tracker imaging of Itokawa on July 29-30, August 8-9 and August 12. Totally, 24 images were taken and the hybrid navigation combining both radio and optical measurement was performed and the results came out enough well to guide the spacecraft making a final approach to the object. The...
Accomplishment of HAYABUSA’s outward journey by ion engines
	Posted by snowsislander On News/Activism 09/05/2005 11:28:39 AM PDT · 4 replies · 248+ views JAXA / ISAS | August 29, 2005 The orbit maneuver of HAYABUSA spacecraft was handed over from the ion engines to the bi-propellant thrusters on August 28 JST. After the solar conjunction the microwave discharge ion engines were turned on again at the end of July and accelerated with their full throttling so as to approach to the target. At the end of August HAYABUSA stays 4,800km (3,000 mi.) apart from Asteroid ITOKAWA and is still closing it at 32km/h (20 mph) velocity with the ion engines off. HAYABUSA asteroid explorer, launched on May 9 2003, has executed the orbit maneuver using the microwave discharge ion engines,...
Cosmic Hole-in-One Captured Over Antarctica
	Posted by SunkenCiv On General/Chat 09/05/2005 9:36:19 PM PDT · 7 replies · 338+ views RedNova | Monday, 5 September 2005, 20:43 CDT | staff / press release What a powerful telescope had picked up as it stretched towards the night sky over Antarctica was the trail of dust left in the wake of the death of an asteroid... "What he didn't know at the time was that seven hours earlier an asteroid had crashed to Earth in another part of Antarctica, about 1500 kms west of Davis. The closest it got to human habitation was around 900 kms west of Japan's Syowa station," Dr Klekociuk said... Dr Klekociuk said that it was thought that the asteroid had come from what is known as the Aten group somewhere...
Natural Disasters: Top 10 U.S. Threats
	Posted by Momaw Nadon On News/Activism 09/20/2005 5:25:47 AM PDT · 47 replies · 1,311+ views LiveScience.com | September 2005 | Robert Roy Britt Government officials are evaluating and revising disaster plans around the United States in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, just as they did after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. While war and automobiles kill more people than nature, find out what natural disasters top scientists’ worry lists. #10 Pacific Northwest Megathrust Earthquake Geologists know it’s just a matter of time before another 9.0 or larger earthquake strikes somewhere between Northern California and Canada. The shaking would be locally catastrophic, but the biggest threat is the tsunami that would ensue from a fault line that’s seismically identical to the one that...
Icy World Found Inside Asteroid
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 09/30/2005 8:19:40 PM PDT · 31 replies · 702+ views Science News Magazine | 9-30-2005 | Ron Cowen Icy world found inside asteroid Ron Cowen New observations of Ceres, the largest known asteroid, suggest that frozen water may account for as much as 25 percent of its interior. If this is true, the volume of ice on Ceres would be greater than that of all the fresh water on Earth. CERES SERIES. This sequence of Hubble images reveals a bright spot of unknown origin on Ceres during a quarter-turn of the asteroid's 9-hour rotation. Thomas, et al., NASA The evidence comes from Hubble Space Telescope images showing that the 930-kilometer-wide asteroid is smooth and almost perfectly round. Simulations...
Gravity-Powered Asteroid Tractor Proposed to Thwart Impact
	Posted by anymouse On News/Activism 11/09/2005 4:09:21 PM PST · 57 replies · 783+ views Space.com | Nov 9, 2005 | Bjorn Carey An asteroid the size of two football fields could wipe out a large city or set off a series of tsunamis across the world. The threat of such an Earth-smashing asteroid has lead scientists to dream up several methods of defending the planet against such a catastrophe. Solutions have ranged from pushing the asteroid with a spacecraft to mounting a thruster on its surface. But pushing it would require too much fuel and could break up the asteroid. Also, asteroids rotate, which could complicate the firing of a surface thruster. Now, two NASA astronauts have presented a plan for an...
Japan's Asteroid Probe Cleared For Landing Attempt
	Posted by NormsRevenge On News/Activism 11/11/2005 12:35:52 PM PST · 23 replies · 335+ views LiveScience.com on yahoo | 11/11/05 | Leonard Davis Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft is on track to attempt a sampling of asteroid Itokawa on November 19. In a rescheduled practice run on November 9, the craft has approached within 230 feet (70 meters) of the asteroid during a descent test that verified the probe's guidance and navigation functions. Engineers handling the Hayabusa spacecraft have clarified the issues that led to the cancellation of a November 4 landing rehearsal. An onboard navigation computer detected anomalous information during the practice run. The problem resulted in an abort command being transmitted to the probe by Earth controllers, thereby stopping the rehearsal. Subsequently, the...
Space probe Hayabusa may have failed to land on asteroid Itokawa
	Posted by HAL9000 On News/Activism 11/19/2005 9:08:20 PM PST · 15 replies · 463+ views Kyodo News (Japan) | November 20, 2005 Japanese space probe Hayabusa may have failed to land on the asteroid Itokawa, located about 290 million kilometers away from the Earth, Japan's space agency said Sunday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said it is uncertain whether Hayabusa has landed on the asteroid, adding the probe is apparently moving upward after hovering around 10 meters away from the small celestial body. The agency said the spacecraft, which temporarily lost contact with it, may have faced some sort of operational trouble. The probe dropped a ball with a reflecting plate as a landing target from about 40 meters above the...
Japan Probe Making Second Try at Asteroid (Hayabusa)
	Posted by NormsRevenge On News/Activism 11/21/2005 11:42:46 AM PST · 10 replies · 290+ views AP on Yahoo | 11/21/05 | AP - Tokyo TOKYO - A Japanese space probe is heading back toward an asteroid for a second landing attempt after failing to touch down over the weekend, space agency officials said Monday. Communications between the Hayabusa probe and Japan's space agency, JAXA, have returned to normal after the vessel inexplicably stopped just yards from the asteroid Itokawa on Sunday. The probe, which also botched a rehearsal earlier this month, is on a mission to briefly land on the asteroid, collect material, then bring it back to Earth. Officials will analyze data from the probe Tuesday to find out what went wrong in...
Japanese Asteroid Lander to Make Second Try
	Posted by Red Badger On News/Activism 11/22/2005 9:16:26 AM PST · 9 replies · 264+ views AP via FoxNews TOKYO — A Japanese space probe is heading back toward an asteroid for a second landing attempt after failing to touch down over the weekend, space agency officials said Monday. Communications between the Hayabusa probe and Japan's space agency, JAXA, have returned to normal after the vessel inexplicably stopped just yards from the asteroid Itokawa on Sunday. The probe, which also botched a rehearsal earlier this month, is on a mission to briefly land on the asteroid, collect material, then bring it back to Earth. Officials will analyze data from the probe Tuesday to find out what went wrong in...
It's called Apophis. It's 390m wide. And it could hit Earth in 31 years time [Asteroid]
	Posted by aculeus On News/Activism 12/06/2005 6:59:40 PM PST · 162 replies · 3,031+ views The Guardian (UK) | December 7, 2005 | by Alok Jha In Egyptian myth, Apophis was the ancient spirit of evil and destruction, a demon that was determined to plunge the world into eternal darkness. A fitting name, astronomers reasoned, for a menace now hurtling towards Earth from outerspace. Scientists are monitoring the progress of a 390-metre wide asteroid discovered last year that is potentially on a collision course with the planet, and are imploring governments to decide on a strategy for dealing with it.
(Japanese) Asteroid Sampling Mission Probably Failed
	Posted by blam On News/Activism 12/07/2005 10:28:47 AM PST · 10 replies · 356+ views New Scientist | 12-7-2005 | Maggie McGee Asteroid sampling mission probably failed 16:01 07 December 2005 NewScientist.com news service Maggie McKee and AFP The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa is likely to have failed in its landmark mission to collect the first-ever samples from an asteroid, mission officials said on Wednesday. It also faces trouble returning to Earth. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had earlier said the Hayabusa probe "most probably" succeeded in gathering material from the Itokawa asteroid, 290 million kilometres from Earth, on 26 November. The spacecraft was thought to have landed on the space rock for just one second, firing two metal pellets to throw...
Action urged to deal with asteroid likely to hit Earth (Please read and respond to my comment)
	Posted by emiller On News/Activism 12/09/2005 9:07:47 AM PST · 177 replies · 2,716+ views Todayonline | 12-08-05 | Guardian LONDON — Scientists are monitoring the progress of a 390m-wide asteroid discovered last year that is potentially on a collision course with the planet, and are imploring governments to decide on a strategy for dealing with it. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has estimated that an impact from Apophis, which has an outside chance of hitting the Earth in 2036, would release more than 100,000 times the energy released in the nuclear blast over Hiroshima. Thousands of square kilometres would be directly affected by the blast but the whole of the Earth would see the effects of the dust...
Semi-News: Asteroid Likely to Hit Earth Seen as Offset to Global Warming
	Posted by John Semmens On Bloggers & Personal 12/21/2005 7:26:35 AM PST · 28 replies · 188+ views AZCONSERVATIVE | 16 Dec 2005 | John Semmens Any action that might possibly be taken to divert a 390m-wide asteroid from colliding with Earth is likely to be opposed by environmentalists. The reasons range from reluctance to tampering with Mother Nature to the belief that anything that might destroy civilization would be good for the environment. The asteroid in question is Apophis, which has an outside chance of hitting the Earth in 2036. The impact would release more than 100,000 times the energy released in the nuclear blast over Hiroshima. The Earth would see massive cooling effects from the dust released into the atmosphere. There has been some...

[Bender2]

Bump for later read...

[airborne]

Bookmarked.

Thanks for an excellent compilation!

[SunkenCiv]

You're welcome, and Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 9/26/2005. Thanks MHalblaub. Looks like it never got pinged, probably a bit older than the ping list.

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