2029 astroid will hit according to 13 year old.

[Cavaz]

Lol a 13 year old has corrected NASA. Lmao at the way they call them boffins.

BERLIN (AFP) - A 13-year-old German schoolboy corrected NASA's estimates on the chances of an asteroid colliding with Earth, a German newspaper reported Tuesday, after spotting the boffins had miscalculated.

Nico Marquardt used telescopic findings from the Institute of Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) to calculate that there was a 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth, the Potsdamer Neuerster Nachrichten reported.
NASA had previously estimated the chances at only 1 in 45,000 but told its sister organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA), that the young whizzkid had got it right.
The schoolboy took into consideration the risk of Apophis running into one or more of the 40,000 satellites orbiting Earth during its path close to the planet on April 13 2029.
Those satellites travel at 3.07 kilometres a second (1.9 miles), at up to 35,880 kilometres above earth -- and the Apophis asteroid will pass by earth at a distance of 32,500 kilometres.
If the asteroid strikes a satellite in 2029, that will change its trajectory making it hit earth on its next orbit in 2036.
Both NASA and Marquardt agree that if the asteroid does collide with earth, it will create a ball of iron and iridium 320 metres (1049 feet) wide and weighing 200 billion tonnes, which will crash into the Atlantic Ocean.
The shockwaves from that would create huge tsunami waves, destroying both coastlines and inland areas, whilst creating a thick cloud of dust that would darken the skies indefinitely.
The 13-year old made his discovery as part of a regional science competition for which he submitted a project entitled: "Apophis -- The Killer Astroid."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/2008041...y-c2ff8aa.html


Well I can believe it but I'm sure they'll re-coordinate the satellite.

[Moh]

I bet NASA are crying at getting corrected by a 13 year old. Oh well, the 13 year old may have a nice future now?

By the time its 2029, I think our technology will be much better, so what do we have to worry about?

[Misawa]

Oh well, it's only Earth.

[Jamesy]

They're probably relieved it wasn't a Russian.

[lScottl]

Fire a nuke at it when it gets too close

[Pyroka]

They're probably relieved it wasn't a Russian.

So true hehe. The russians will be giggling I'm sure. That's quite worrying though tbh... Technology scares me sometimes.

[Jordy]

Fire a nuke at it when it gets too close

I think that's all they can really do, we can evacuate potential area's (the Atlantic ocean lol) and we could try firing numerous nuclear warheads at it. I just think it's too fast and heavy to be able to destroy it though, I'm sure accuracy wouldn't be an issue it's just it could be pretty big, it'd also cause lots of radiation in the air and regardless of all that, the smaller debris would still fall to Earth.

[GommeInc]

"If the asteroid strikes a satellite in 2029, that will change its trajectory making it hit earth on its next orbit in 2036."

Judging by the weight and speed of the asteroid, I am fairly certain that the asteroid would just mow down the satellite. Plus the 'if' seems like a really big 'IF' to me... Quite funny he corrected NASA though

[lScottl]

To be honest, we could have a way to stop it in 21 years

[Moh]

To be honest, we could have a way to stop it in 21 years

Or they may not even have to stop it, as they will be able to make more acurate calculations in 21 years