UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Asteroid DA14 February 15th flyby Fear vs. Fact [VIDEO]

NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office manager, Don Yeomans spoke to SPACE.com about Asteroid DA14, the space rock that will come between us and the moon on February 15.
|
 
CREDIT: <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.space.com/19540-asteroid-2012-da14-earth-flyby.html" target="_blank">Space.com</a>
CREDIT: Space.com
Updated Feb. 5, 2013 at 12:57 PM
Published: Feb. 5, 2013 at 12:25 PM

NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office manager Don Yeomans spoke to SPACE.com about Asteroid DA14, the small space rock that will come between us and the moon on Feb. 15th, 2013.

Though the asteroid will pass within 17,200 miles of our planet, scientists at NASA have ruled out any potential danger associated with the flyby. In fact, they believe the event will be a once in a lifetime experience that will allow for the study of near-earth objects up close.

"The flyby will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close," NASA said in a statement.

According to Yeomans, DA14's close approach to the geosynchronous satellites orbiting at 22,245 miles above Earth, is nothing to worry about.

"The orbit of the asteroid is known well enough to rule out an impact," he said.

NASA scientists will be tracking the space rock from Feb. 16 to Feb. 20 with their Goldstone radar from California's Mojave Desert.

Recommended Stories
© 2013 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
1 of 14
Obama in Berlin
View Caption
A child is seen playing at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe on the eve of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Berlin on June 18, 2013. Obama is scheduled to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and will later speak at the Brandenburg Gate where fifty years earlier, U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner (I am a Berliner)" address . UPI/David Silpa
fark
Oh, no, not this shiat again
Man upset that the mother of his child refused to let him see his kid decides to randomly shoot...
From the Powerball FAQ: "Swinging a live chicken above your head while wishing for the future numbers...
"My family is being torn apart because my husband won't wear his seatbelt"
In Walmart's defense: do we really KNOW that pregnant women with urinary tract infections need to...
From "Oh no he didn't" & "Oh yes he did" to "My hair is a nest, your argument is invalid" it's this...