NASA to Chronicle Close Earth Flyby of Asteroid

[Fansome]

NASA to Chronicle Close Earth Flyby of Asteroid

Diagram depicting the passage of asteroid 2012 DA14 through the Earth-moon system on Feb. 15, 2013. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-059&cid=release_2013-059

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA Television will provide commentary starting at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST) on Friday, Feb. 15, during the close, but safe, flyby of a small near-Earth asteroid named 2012 DA14. NASA places a high priority on tracking asteroids and protecting our home planet from them. This flyby will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close.

The half-hour broadcast from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will incorporate real-time animation to show the location of the asteroid in relation to Earth, along with live or near real-time views of the asteroid from observatories in Australia, weather permitting.

At the time of its closest approach to Earth at approximately 11:25 a.m. PST (2:25 p.m. EST / 19:25 UTC), the asteroid will be about 17,150 miles (27,600 kilometers) above Earth's surface.

The commentary will be available via NASA TV and streamed live online at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv and http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2

In addition to the commentary, near real-time imagery of the asteroid's flyby before and after closest approach, made available to NASA by astronomers in Australia and Europe, weather permitting, will be streamed beginning at about 9 a.m. PST (noon EST) and continuing through the afternoon at the following website: http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2

A Ustream feed of the flyby from a telescope at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will be streamed for three hours starting at 6 p.m. PST (8 p.m. CST / 9 p.m. EST). To view the feed and ask researchers questions about the flyby via Twitter, visit: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc

The NASA Near Earth Objects (NEO) Program at the agency's headquarters in Washington manages and funds the search, study and monitoring of NEOs, or asteroids and comets, whose orbits periodically bring them close to the Earth. NASA's study of NEOs provides important clues to understanding the origin of our solar system. The objects also are a repository of natural resources and could become waystations for future exploration. In collaboration with other external organizations, one of the program's key goals is to search and hopefully mitigate potential NEO impacts on Earth. JPL conducts the NEO program's technical and scientific activities.

For more information, including graphics and animations showing the flyby of 2012 DA14, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/asteroidflyby

For more information about asteroids and near-Earth objects, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch

DC Agle 818-393-9011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
agle@jpl.nasa.gov

Steve Cole 202-358-0918
NASA Headquarters, Washington
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

[ChrisSmolinski]

Completely unrelated... so they say.

Meteorite hits Russian Urals: Fireball explosion wreaks havoc, over 500 injured:  http://rt.com/news/meteorite-crash-urals-chelyabinsk-283/

[Fansome]

Actually, I'd bet that there's a good chance that this event IS related to the asteroid that's in the neighborhood right now. It makes sense that the asteroid making the fly-by today has some attendant debris, and there is a lot of thinking going around these days that some of the biggest impact events, such as the Chicxulub event 65 million years ago off of the Yucatan peninsula, and which exterminated the dinosaurs (many of which were associated with the FRN), were multiple events, with other, smaller impacts occurring at about the same time (geologically speaking). The Shoemaker-Levy event a few years back lends credence to this.

My understanding is that many, if not most, of the annual meteor showers are associated with comet remnants. The thinking is that the comets disintegrate with each pass through the solar system, releasing rocks, snow, and other stuff, that stays in the same orbit, and from time to time rains down on the Earth.

If you are interested in this kind of thing, take a look at the Earth Impact Database, and pull up Google Earth while you are at it. You will be amazed that that this planet has survived as long as it has.

Completely unrelated... so they say.

Meteorite hits Russian Urals: Fireball explosion wreaks havoc, over 500 injured:  http://rt.com/news/meteorite-crash-urals-chelyabinsk-283/

[desmoface]

I don't want to get hit by an asteroid.  It might mess up my antenna.

[ChrisSmolinski]

I don't want to get hit by an asteroid.  It might mess up my antenna.

Once again, another attempt to destroy pirate radio via asteroids.