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 17
Tornado recover efforts underway in Moore, Oklahoma
View Caption
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin talks to victims from the May 20 tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, May 22, 2013. The EF-5 tornado cut a path of destruction approximately 17 miles by 1.3 miles wide and left 24 people dead. UPI/J.P. Wilson
fark
How to steal the mini-bar like a boss
You've lost faith in our systems, witnessed a parade of lies and deceit. So you look for comfort,...
Charles Ramsey awarded free McDonalds for life, which will now be about six months
Newspaper investigation concludes that soldiers with injuries, PTSD, are being drummed out of the...
Ginger columnist ponders a future without redheads, whose genetic mutation will soon come to a natural...
Battle to keep people with money out of the Bronx is a success