No big bang: Asteroid will miss Mars

AP ^ | Jan 10,

[SunkenCiv]

2007 WD5 Mars Collision Effectively Ruled Out - Impact Odds now 1 in 10,000
Steve Chesley, Paul Chodas and Don Yeomans
NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office
January 9, 2008
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news156.html

[eldoradude]

Phobos is about 16+ miles long and orbits 3,700 miles from Mars. Deimos is about 9 miles long and orbits 14,400 miles from Mars.

Of the two, Deimos is more likely to be a potential target. However, something that small would be like putting your wife on a merry-go-round with a lit cigarette in her mouth and attemtping to shoot off the cherry at 500 yards with an AK. :)

[Pontiac]

Thanks for the info.

It’s possible but not likely.

But is it more likely the asteroid would hit Deimos than Mars?

[RightWhale]

Could a near-miss move Mars from its accustomed orbit

Yes, but it would take millenia for the effect to show up since it will be so small.