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asteroid.jpg
A week from Friday, a 150-foot-long asteroid, dubbed 2012 DA 14, will pass within 17,000 miles from planet Earth. Now that may not sound like a close shave but that's only 1/13th the way to the moon, so all things considered, that's pretty close. (Image courtesy NASA/Space.com)

Are we doomed if an asteroid hits Earth?

BY Tom Tangney  on February 6, 2013 @ 6:50 am (Updated: 7:23 am - 2/6/13 )

A giant asteroid is hurtling straight for earth - that's the premise of many a Hollywood script. But for a while recently, scientists thought that could be happening for real.

A week from Friday, a 150-foot-long asteroid, dubbed 2012 DA 14, will pass within 17,000 miles from planet Earth. Now that may not sound like a close shave but that's only 1/13th the way to the moon, so all things considered, that's pretty close.

That got the Luke Burbank Show thinking - what would we or could we do in the case of an asteroid heading our way.

"Scientists have a lot of ideas about what they might do. I mean the problem is none of them have really been tested in the real world," said Clare Moscowitz from Space.com. "The leading idea is to launch a space craft to actually slam into the asteroid. The thinking is, if you can kick it just a little bit off course, you can probably kick it so it won't hit the earth because a small change in it's orbit will put it in a little different trajectory."

Moscowitz reassured us a little, but she also warned us that kicking maneuver was also fraught with danger.

"You really do need to get your orbital mechanics right. You need to have your math sound and clear. You don't want to push it even closer toward the earth and make it worse."

And would we have enough lead time to pull this feat off?

"We would need quite some time. First we would need to build the spacecraft, we don't just have those lying around," said Moscowitz. "We would probably need a few years at least. Who knows, if you have a last minute scenario, the world isn't going to go out without trying - we may pull something out of our sleeve."

Well, that doesn't sound as reassuring as we'd hoped.

And it got worse.

"See this is another problem with asteroids: they don't glow. They're just these tiny chunks of rock. Yes, we can see them - they reflect sunlight. But they're small and we really can't see them too well until they come close to us which is why we didn't discover this one until just recently. We tend to only see these things when they've gotten quite close to the sun and close to us."

But that makes it sound like we're doomed. Is there a scenario in which we do could find a way to avert annihilation?

"You know, I'd like to think that we could. We have a lot of spacecrafts out there in orbit, defunct things that we wouldn't mind losing. So perhaps we could launch some sort of rocket. I think we could pull something together, to utilize what we already have in sitting there in orbit and maybe hit this thing. But obviously - the more lead time, the better," said Moscowitz.

And besides, this is not really ever going to happen is it?

"I think that we don't know enough yet to put the risks so definitively that most scientists list an asteroid impact as, really sort of up there, in terms of things that could really sort of 'do us in,'" explained Moscowitz. "So there's a real threat, but at the same time, there's entire teams of people that are constantly vigilant, scanning the skies for these things. I feel personally hopeful we would get enough lead time to make a fighting stand."

And if in the end it comes down to Bruce Willis bailing us all out, "I think if that's there best plan, we're in trouble."

Tom Tangney, KIRO Radio Host
Tom Tangney is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle's Morning News and resident enthusiast of...everything. He loves books, movies, TV, art, pop culture, politic, sports, and Husky football.
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Comments (30)


  • Add A Comment

  • shark75 wrote...
    Goverment regulation will save the day
    February 6, 2013 6:43 am
    We'll have that spacecraft in the air in no time....just as soon as we hire a diverse crowd to build it and ensure that it is environmentally friendly. There will need to be a scout vehicle sent to the asteroid to ensure there are no endangered species, and of course there will need to be an environmental impact study conducted here at home to measure the greenhouse gases emitted by the rocket, etc.
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  • darrengrama wrote...
    You're...
    February 6, 2013 10:43 am
    ...dumb
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    15- feet ??? ... That's barely big enough to wipe out the Mount Baker neighborhood.
    February 6, 2013 7:04 am
    But Luke needn't worry. He'll probably be out of town (as usual) if the rock hits.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    woops - 150'
    February 6, 2013 8:03 am
    ...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Newton wrote...
    If hits safeco field while the Mariners are playing.
    February 6, 2013 8:30 am
    That would be nice. One less thing to be upset about.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • The Dude Abides wrote...
    Just one request...
    February 6, 2013 8:35 am
    when our crack team of "scientists" finally does divert the asteroid, can we please, for the love of all that is holy, find someone who will actually make a kickass theme song, and not some mushy love ballad? I love Aerosmith, but that song makes me want to walk up to Stephen Tyler, hand him a sandwich baggy of coke, and say "You are not allowed to be sober and make music ever again."
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AceBass wrote...
    lol - This is exactly why I own an AR-15
    February 6, 2013 9:36 am
    In case of a natural disaster just like this where there can be any number of different levels of civil unrest and strife. This is EXACTLY why a highly capable utility rifle like an AR-15 can save me, help defend my neighborhood, my city, my state. This is why I consider ANYONE who wants to criminalize my ownership of any rifle an absolute retard.
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  • darrengrama wrote...
    So...
    February 6, 2013 10:46 am
    ...you have one in case of an asteroid hitting Earth and becoming post-apocalyptic and imaginary Hitler rising in the form of our first black president but you don't want to talk about the tens of thousands of deaths that ACTUALLY happen every year from gun violence. You made you're point very clear; we are the retarded ones.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AceBass wrote...
    just
    February 6, 2013 10:56 am
    LEAVE ME ALONE. I have BROKEN NO LAWS and am a THREAT TO NO ONE. STOP TRYING TO LEGISLATE AGAINST ME BECAUSE OF SOME NUTJOB in AZ CO or CT. LEAVE ME ALONE Got it? Smart one? how many people died from rifles again?
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  • Frogsplash wrote...
    Here I had thought only extreme liberals
    February 6, 2013 12:02 pm
    Turned every topic in to gun control topics. Now I see that is not the case. Others it seems are just as capable. If you want folks to leave you alone, as you said, don't turn a topic on an asteroid hitting the earth into anyone suggesting AR-15's be illegal are retard's. It's pretty simple really.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • uralnutjobs wrote...
    do you personally know ace?
    February 6, 2013 2:02 pm
    then be quite. you have no idea if his ar-15 is or isnt going to be subject to the plans of the gov. to restrict some weapons. he could have a 10 shot mag and no supressor no bayonet mount or other silly mods that they at tagging onto the bill that doesnt even exist.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • shark75 wrote...
    Regardless of whether it works or not
    February 6, 2013 9:42 am
    You can rest assured it was be Bush's fault and/or a direct result of global warming...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • darrengrama wrote...
    ...
    February 6, 2013 10:47 am
    No argument lol
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Fuego wrote...
    Not to worry..
    February 6, 2013 9:58 am
    we won't have to be concerned about a space rock killing us all. History has proven that man can do a pretty good job of doing that on his own.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • darrengrama wrote...
    How has history shown that?
    February 6, 2013 10:50 am
    We are still around. Men haven't killed everyone one time in history. I think you mean the history of cinema has proven that man can do a pretty good job of that on its own.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Fuego wrote...
    We started
    February 6, 2013 12:56 pm
    with clubs and when that wasn't good enough spears and arrows were created. That soon gave way to gunpowder, TNT and then the atom. So if you don't think that we will continue killing one another we certainly can ruin it so life can't be sustained on this planet. If you don't believe me just ask your neighborhood dinosaur.
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  • O-town listener wrote...
    Good point Fuego..
    February 7, 2013 3:18 pm
    I keep forgetting about how man killed off the dinosaurs. Should have paid more attention in history class.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • adiru wrote...
    What should we do?
    February 6, 2013 10:36 am
    DUCK !!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • darrengrama wrote...
    Leave it to one science article...
    February 6, 2013 10:50 am
    To bring all the weirdos out. Nice comments guys.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • DesertRez wrote...
    Congress must act
    February 6, 2013 10:53 am
    To pass legislation to make these asteroids illegal, starting with asteroid free zones.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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