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NASA Statement on Student Asteroid Calculations

nasa.gov — WASHINGTON -- The Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has not changed its current estimates for the very low probability (1 in 45,000) of an Earth impact by the asteroid Apophis in 2036.

Who dugg this? Made popular Apr 17, 2008

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  • LargeLeon, on 04/17/2008, -2/+61In summary:
    From: NASA
    To: 13 Year Old Kid
    Subject: asteroid Apophis
    We R l33t. U R n00b.
    LOL
  • Blitzenn, on 04/17/2008, -1/+32I hope the individual who made up the story is appropriately ignored in the future.
  • inactive, on 04/17/2008, -1/+30Atlast the boy genius threads are put to rest.
  • Jamesara13, on 04/17/2008, -3/+20that kid was SHUT DOWN
  • inactive, on 04/17/2008, -1/+152008 and no flying cars....
  • tarquell, on 04/17/2008, -2/+15

    - end -
  • hiddenlawyer, on 04/17/2008, -2/+14I think NASA just did a zig-zag snap!
  • Neticule, on 04/17/2008, -2/+14Bah, by 2036 we can blast it to pieces with our global laser defense force! I say, BRING IT ON!
  • MerryMortician, on 04/17/2008, -0/+12Hillary can remember the time she singlehandedly stopped the last asteroid that nearly impacted with earth. Then she did jell-o shots.
  • boombume, on 04/17/2008, -1/+12Ah HA! Take THAT, Germany!
  • ChzPlz, on 04/17/2008, -1/+7More of a "didn't fact check" story.
  • darkbunny, on 04/17/2008, -0/+5NASA says:
    "Apophis will approach the Earth to about 38,900 km, well inside the geosynchronous distance at 42,240 km. However, the asteroid will cross the equatorial belt at a distance of 51,000 km - well outside the geosynchronous distance. Since the uncertainty on Apophis' position during the Earth close approach is about 1500 km, Apophis cannot approach an Earth satellite. Apophis will not cross the moon's orbital plane at the Moon's orbital distance so it cannot approach the moon either."
  • Canuk, on 04/17/2008, -0/+5No it's like saying you have a 1:45000 chance of hitting the board but no chance of hitting the fly sitting next to the board.

  • bdsams, on 04/17/2008, -1/+5imagine that, Germany makes something up, gets everyone all fussied up then it turns out false....not like we havent seen this before


    atleast this time it didnt involve war
  • hinchb, on 04/17/2008, -0/+4You really want to believe this kid's story don't you? Let me guess, you don't live in the USA
  • nj10ii, on 04/17/2008, -0/+4The alien space craft following the asteroid to earth COULD 'nudge' it into a collision course, but its unlikely.
  • Sle3per, on 04/17/2008, -0/+3You will be dead or old. Your children, if you manage to reproduce, will not be so old.
  • wacki, on 04/17/2008, -1/+4As long as there is a environmental debate, be it global warming, CFC's, ozone, acid rain, etc there will be some "12 year old that embarrasses NASA". Seems like it's a pretty popular technique among anti-science folk. Kristen Byrnes is probably the most famous of them but shes not the first, nor the last. Wanna make your kid (in)famous? Tell him to read some industry funded pseudo news organization and try to summarize it on his/her personal blog.

    Slap a few ads on the website and Rush Limbaugh might make you a small fortune!
  • inactive, on 04/17/2008, -0/+3lulz
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-415BvtCw-U
  • thingnumber2, on 04/17/2008, -1/+4No!
  • inactive, on 04/17/2008, -0/+2What does that say if they elect a black president?
  • BobMysterioso, on 04/17/2008, -1/+3I began to doubt this later than I should have, I admit. I will say the comment from one of the boy genius threads states that if the meteor is that big and traveling at such a high velocity, would a satellite even slow it down in the slightest - and if so, would it even change its trajectory enough?

  • charlietuna, on 04/17/2008, -0/+2Apophis? Someone is watching waaay too much Stargate.
    ...(yes, yes diggers, Apophis was the Egyptian god Apep)
  • Cybermaul, on 04/17/2008, -0/+2Man, they had everything back then, I want LED bullets...
  • orenshk, on 04/17/2008, -0/+2otherwise known as "Q.E.D bitch"
  • inactive, on 04/17/2008, -0/+2Apophis's length was estimated at 415 m (1350 ft); maximum angular speed of 42° per hour.


    "Maybe" if it hits the international space station, and even then, I don't think it would make much of a difference. But the odds of that are so ridiculously small. Otherwise I don't think object as small and as light as the average satelite would have much of an impact.
  • orenshk, on 04/17/2008, -0/+2Which won't work because of 2038 bug.
  • Yodacola, on 04/17/2008, -0/+2We shouldn't destroy it!! It may have Prothean technology!
  • counterplex, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1It's the Allspark!
  • jjustice, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1What, no conspiracy theories? Surely *someone* out there thinks this is a cover-up to prevent mass panic...
  • JQP123, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1Have you ever considered that this "hope for the best" approach is probably the most expensive, least productive and least sensical way to develop new technology?
  • docbob84, on 04/17/2008, -1/+2More like, in 2036 there will still be people claiming NASA is a waste of money even as it enters the atmosphere. :(
  • Durrok, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1At least Hillary memes aren't quite as worn out as Chuck Norris's.
  • zantos420, on 04/17/2008, -1/+21 in 45,000 is still better than most if not all lotteries.
  • EmileVictor, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1Everyone's a winner!
  • umdigger, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1Get your scale correct. I would be like hitting a charging freight train with an 18th century led bullet.
  • SickTear, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1huh?
  • Russomd, on 04/17/2008, -1/+2this kid just got flat out pwned.
  • Sahdow, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1lolcats are can does maths better than NASA
  • supremebeing18, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1Your comment is quite logic.
  • Opiate, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1Maybe if we sacrifice you to the asteroid gods it will spare us .. you'd be cool with that though right?
  • Cumella, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1No there aren't any... And don't call me Shirley.
  • umdigger, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1Touche. Was I drunk or something when I wrote that?
  • Cumella, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1The people responsible for the discovery of the object are fans of the show. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis#Naming
  • aliashandle, on 04/17/2008, -2/+2imagine that, USA makes something up, gets everyone all fussied up then it turns out false... not like we haven't seen this before


    atleast this time it didn't involve war
  • YoshinoAiki, on 04/17/2008, -0/+0The world doesn't end in 2012. It is simply the end of one cycle of time and the beginning of another accompanied by catastrophic change.
  • inactive, on 04/17/2008, -1/+1Why would I care? I'll be dead. My death is the end of my existence and perception, and therefore, to me, the end of the Universe.
  • JQP123, on 04/17/2008, -1/+1My point exactly!

    If noone really cares about asteroid aversion , then the argument that we *must* go to Mars in order to "save humanity" lacks credibility.
  • YoshinoAiki, on 04/17/2008, -0/+0Seriously. We aren't even close to following the timeline laid out by "Back to the Future II"
  • seankevin, on 04/17/2008, -0/+0Not that any of this is going to matter anyways, what with the world ending in 2012 and all.
    http://wonkette.com/politics/2012/federal-governme ...
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