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Schoolboy Corrects NASA's Math On Killer Asteroid

@ 2008/04/16

A German schoolboy, Nico Marquardt, has revised NASA's figures for the chances that the Apophis asteroid will hit earth. Apparently if the asteroid hits a satellite in 2029, its path could be diverted enough to cause it to collide with Earth on the next orbit, in 2036. NASA had calculated the chances as 1 in 45,000 but the 13-year-old, in his science project, made it 1 in 450. NASA agreed

Comment from Kougar @ 2008/04/16

Hm, not a bad percentage out of 40,000 tracked objects then. Rather big oversight on NASA's part to not take it into consideration too.

Comment from geoffrey @ 2008/04/16

Around 1200 so I've red.

Comment from Kougar @ 2008/04/16

Actually, this seems rather unlikely even with the new consideration? The ISS orbits <400km, most satellites are nowhere near 30,000-35,000km.

Comment from geoffrey @ 2008/04/16

if it doesn't hit Earth the first time, then there is a possibility that it might hit it the second time. If it doesn't hit the second time then maybe third time, and if ...

I'm looking forward to meet the Asteroid non-the-less.

Comment from wutske @ 2008/04/16

we just send some oil miners up there to detonate a nuke in the center of the asteroid ...

Funny that yet again we are the cause of the problem

Comment from Massman @ 2008/04/16

Cool ... Nasa got owned.

Not so cool ... an asteroid might hit earth.

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