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Threats from space

The 10-ton meteor that exploded over the Russian Ural Mountain with the force of an atomic blast graphically proves that we are ill-equipped and unprepared for major catastrophic events.

Most bodies in the solar system with a visible solid surface exhibit craters. On earth, we see very few because geological processes such as weathering and erosion destroy the obvious evidence of cosmic collisions with earth.

The Russian meteor was apparently travelling between 15-30km/s (that’s 54,000-108,000km/h). Its passage through the air set off massive sonic booms, and when the pressure and heat from the friction with the air became too much to hold together, it went off like a bomb. In the process it injured 900 people and damaged 3,000 buildings.

Little rocks from space hit the earth all the time. In January 2002, an asteroid about 1000 feet wide passed by earth missing it by less than 400,000 miles. In March 2002, asteroid 2000 EMT came within 300,000 miles, a bit further out than the moon and it was about 200 feet wide.

During January 13^th 2004, astronomers have revealed how they came with minutes of alerting the world to a potential asteroid strike. The object designated 2004 ASI, had one in four chances of hitting the planet within 36 hours. We then dodged the cosmic bullet. One day, we might not be so lucky.