Project 1999 - Scientists surprised by 'city killer' asteriod that just missed Earth

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Scientists surprised by 'city killer' asteriod that just missed Earth

'Asteroid 2019' passed about 73,000 kilometers from Earth, roughly one-fifth the distance to the moon

Quote:

Astronomers in Brazil and the United States separately discovered 2019 OK a couple of days ago, but it's surprise visit was only announced a couple of hours before it passed by. "The lack of warning shows how quickly potentially dangerous asteroids can sneak up on us," Brown wrote.

I hope we're seriously investing in asteroid deflection technology...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glacios (Post 2941535)

I hope we're seriously investing in asteroid deflection technology...

We are not. There's a number of think tanks and private organizations (like The Planetary Society) that are, but they are often small, politically irrelevant, and run by academics. The best hope to test some of these concepts was this: https://www.nasa.gov/content/what-is...direct-mission and it was killed.

Our current best hope is that Planetary Resources and other asteroid mining ventures are able to succeed. Once they make money, the technology will fall easily into place. Until then, wear a helmet.