365NEWSX
365NEWSX
Subscribe

Welcome

Space rock alert: Should you worry about an asteroid impact? - Space.com

Space rock alert: Should you worry about an asteroid impact? - Space.com

Space rock alert: Should you worry about an asteroid impact? - Space.com
Nov 27, 2021 2 mins, 3 secs

NASA is testing one technique it might use should a large asteroid threaten to collide with Earth.

The newly-launched Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, is designed to test whether hitting an asteroid with a spacecraft can alter the rock's trajectory enough to avoid a predicted collision with the Earth, given enough lead time?

So Didymos and Dimorphos don't pose a threat — but are asteroid impacts something most people need to worry about.

Fortunately, a relatively big rock, one about the size of an American football field that would be able to cause severe local damage upon impact, hits Earth only every 2,000 years or so, according to NASA.

First off, the question isn't whether an asteroid will smash into the Earth: Not only has it happened before, but it happens pretty routinely. .

Small rocks impact all the time — something the size of a small car hits Earth's atmosphere about once a year, according to NASA, but objects of that size burn up in the atmosphere and explode well before they hit the ground.

In general, there are a lot more small objects orbiting the sun than large ones, and the progression is roughly logarithmic — for every million sand-grain-size objects, there will be only one that weighs 2 pounds (1 kilogram), and generally there are a trillion tiny meteors for each object in the range of 2,000 pounds (1,000 kg).

Scientists take a variety of approaches to try to understand the relative risk of a serious asteroid impact on Earth.

These are not large odds, but they are actually better than the chances of winning your local Powerball lottery on a specific ticket. .

Chapman, who gathered these numbers in 2007, found that an average American had 1 in 30,000 odds of dying in a plane crash and 1 in 60,000 odds of dying in a tornado; either of those fates is much more likely to be the cause of your demise than an asteroid impact.

— What would happen if an asteroid were going to hit Earth.

Homeowner's insurance can cover a pretty wide range of disasters, including asteroid impacts, according to the Insurance Information Institute, which has a handy table outlining what is typically covered and what isn't.

Asteroid impacts would be classified under "falling objects," but it's not clear whether it has to be a direct hit to qualify.

The math works for insurance providers because, while an asteroid impact could cause lots of damage, the tiny odds of a serious impact occurring reduces the risk.

Summarized by 365NEWSX ROBOTS

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED