Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




DEEP IMPACT
Study of Asteroid Holds Key To Earth's Future
by Staff Writers
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Aug 18, 2014


File image: Near-Earth asteroid 1950 DA.

Scientists have discovered the forces that keep a near-Earth asteroid, 1950 DA, from breaking apart, according to a research published in Nature. The asteroid, considered by NASA a potential threat to the Earth, is a fast-rotating pile of debris that seems to be defying the forces of gravity.

Scientists say that gravity and friction are not able to prevent the asteroid from disintegrating. The debris, making a full rotation every 2.12 hours, is held together by cohesive forces known as Van Der Waals.

"We found that 1950 DA is rotating faster than the breakup limit for its density," said Ben Rozitis, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as quoted by the International Business Times.

The meteor that exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013 generated "renewed interest in figuring out how to deal with the potential hazard of an asteroid impact," Rozitis said. "Understanding what holds these asteroids together can inform strategies to guard against future impacts," he added.

There are several ways to prevent an asteroid from crashing into the Earth. "The best way to mitigate an impacting asteroid is to nudge it slightly several years before impact so that it changes course," he said, as quoted by Space.com. However, it might break up into "several smaller, hazardous asteroids," the scientist warned.

"Therefore, with such an asteroid, you want to avoid interacting with it directly to prevent it breaking up. An alternative is to use a 'gravity tractor,' or a heavy spacecraft placed near the asteroid, which uses the force of gravity to pull the asteroid off course," Rozitis explained.

There is a slim chance that the asteroid will hit the Earth in 2880, according to NASA's Near Earth Object Program. However, if it does crash into the planet, the consequences could be disastrous. For instance, if the asteroid crashes into the ocean, the impact could generate a tsunami at least 200 feet high, Space.com said citing a 2003 study.

Source: RIA Novosti

.


Related Links
University of Tennessee
Asteroid and Comet Impact Danger To Earth - News and Science






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








DEEP IMPACT
Research uncovers forces that hold gravity-defying asteroid together
Knoxville TN (SPX) Aug 15, 2014
Researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have made a novel discovery that may potentially protect the world from future collisions with asteroids. The team studied near-Earth asteroid 1950 DA and discovered that the body, which rotates so quickly it defies gravity, is held together by cohesive forces called van der Waals, never detected before on an asteroid. The findin ... read more


DEEP IMPACT
China to test recoverable moon orbiter

China to send orbiter to moon and back

August supermoon will be brightest this year

Manned Moon Mission to Cost Russia $2.8 Bln

DEEP IMPACT
Curiosity Mars Rover Prepares for Fourth Rock Drilling

Tall Boulder Rolls Down Martian Hill, Lands Upright

Opportunity Heads to 'Marathon Valley'

NASA Mars Curiosity Rover: Two Years and Counting on Red Planet

DEEP IMPACT
Yi So-yeon, Korea's first and only astronaut, resigns

XCOR Lynx Spacecraft Lands at Monterey Jet Center

Study Compiles Data on Problem of Sleep Deprivation in Astronauts

Aerojet Completes CST-100 Work for Commercial Crew Work

DEEP IMPACT
China's first private rocket firm aims for market

China Sends Remote-Sensing Satellite into Orbit

More Tasks for China's Moon Mission

China's Circumlunar Spacecraft Unmasked

DEEP IMPACT
ISS Spacewalkers Deploy Nanosatellite, Install and Retrieve Science

Orbital cargo ship makes planned re-entry to Earth

Russian Cosmonauts Carry Out Science-Oriented Spacewalk Outside ISS

The ISS just dumped 3,300 lbs of space trash to burn up in Earth's atmosphere

DEEP IMPACT
Aerojet Rocketdyne Supports Fifth Successful Launch in Six Weeks

Optus 10 delivered to French Guiana for Ariane 5 Sept launch

SpaceX to build world's first commercial rocket launch site in south Texas

Ariane 5 is readied for Arianespace's September launch with MEASAT-3b and Optus 10

DEEP IMPACT
Rotation of Planets Influences Habitability

Planet-like object may have spent its youth as hot as a star

Young binary star system may form planets with weird and wild orbits

Hubble Finds Three Surprisingly Dry Exoplanets

DEEP IMPACT
The Future of CubeSats

Lockheed taps GenDyn unit for Space Fence ground equipment structures

Canada's MDA receives radar antennas for satellite use

Disney develops method to capture stylized hair for 3-D-printed figurines




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.