Small asteroid misses Earth by only four thousand miles

Small asteroid misses Earth by only four thousand miles


http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996307


Jim Oberg asks -- were there any other possibile sensors
thatr might have detected (but not identified) this bogie?
Visual? Radar? IR?


Asteroid shaves past Earth's atmosphere

13:59 23 August 04

NewScientist.com news service

The closest observed asteroid yet to skim past the Earth without hitting the
atmosphere, was reported by astronomers on Sunday.

The previously unknown object, spanning five to 10 metres across, has been
named 2004 FU162. It streaked across the sky just 6500 kilometres - roughly
the radius of the Earth - above the ground on 31 March, although details
have only now emerged.

"Jim Oberg" wrote in message ...

Small asteroid misses Earth by only four thousand miles


http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996307


Jim Oberg asks -- were there any other possibile sensors
thatr might have detected (but not identified) this bogie?
Visual? Radar? IR?

Depends where it's coming from. Earthbound visual detectors
are useless for objects approaching from the daylight side of
Earth, since no reflected sunlight is visible. Radar and IR are
better, but not many have enough resolving power to detect a
5-10m object.

Something that size didn't/doesn't pose anything but a very
localized risk anyway.

Rick

Asteroid shaves past Earth's atmosphere

13:59 23 August 04

NewScientist.com news service

The closest observed asteroid yet to skim past the Earth without hitting the
atmosphere, was reported by astronomers on Sunday.

The previously unknown object, spanning five to 10 metres across, has been
named 2004 FU162. It streaked across the sky just 6500 kilometres - roughly
the radius of the Earth - above the ground on 31 March, although details
have only now emerged.

"Rick" wrote in message
...
"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...

Small asteroid misses Earth by only four thousand miles


http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996307


Jim Oberg asks -- were there any other possibile sensors
thatr might have detected (but not identified) this bogie?
Visual? Radar? IR?

Depends where it's coming from. Earthbound visual detectors
are useless for objects approaching from the daylight side of
Earth, since no reflected sunlight is visible. Radar and IR are
better, but not many have enough resolving power to detect a
5-10m object.

Something that size didn't/doesn't pose anything but a very
localized risk anyway.

Rick

Sounds like an ideal type body for asteroid material return.
300-1,000 tons of material if you can figure a capture
to orbit method.

"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...

A miss is as good as a light year

chuck

"redneckj" wrote in message
...

Sounds like an ideal type body for asteroid material return.
300-1,000 tons of material if you can figure a capture
to orbit method.

Oh, God, yes. I'd rather see something like that before I die than men on
Mars. Men on Mars may not necessarily lead on to anything else, in the same
manner as Apollo. But retrieval of space resources to HEO would to me mean
that we were starting the process of being in space to stay.

--


Regards,
Mike Combs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Member of the National Non-sequitur Society. We may not make
much sense, but we do like pizza.

"redneckj" wrote in message news:bNsWc.44518
snip
Sounds like an ideal type body for asteroid material return.
300-1,000 tons of material if you can figure a capture
to orbit method.
snip

Totally, what a great way to do some research then to have an asteroid
orbiting the earth, up close and personal. I wonder what sized body it would
take before it had an effect on the earth, much like the moon does?

BV.

"Jim Oberg" wrote in message ...

[snip]

NewScientist.com news service

The closest observed asteroid yet to skim past the Earth without hitting the
atmosphere, was reported by astronomers on Sunday.

The previously unknown object, spanning five to 10 metres across, has been
named 2004 FU162. It streaked across the sky just 6500 kilometres - roughly
the radius of the Earth - above the ground on 31 March, although details
have only now emerged.

Five to ten meters across? Presumably, this was determined by
assuming a certain albedo, and a spherical shape. Even if these
assumptions are off the mark, it's clear that 2004 FU162 is small.
Small and close? That makes me wonder.

A few years ago, it was determined that another near-Earth object was
probably a spent third stage from a Saturn V rocket which had entered
a solar orbit. The New Scientist article doesn't say whether anyone
has investigated the possibility that 2004 FU162 might also be
man-made. Has this been ruled out?

--
Rainforest laid low.
"Wake up and smell the ozone,"
Says man with chainsaw.
John J. Ladasky Jr., Ph.D.

"Benign Vanilla" wrote in message ...
"redneckj" wrote in message news:bNsWc.44518
snip
Sounds like an ideal type body for asteroid material return.
300-1,000 tons of material if you can figure a capture
to orbit method.
snip

Totally, what a great way to do some research then to have an asteroid
orbiting the earth, up close and personal. I wonder what sized body it would
take before it had an effect on the earth, much like the moon does?

BV.

Capture to reentry might be easier. But any capture for research and
analysis is no more useful than all the meteorite analysis already
done.

Capture for semi commercial exploitation would be a MASSIVE
breakthrough.

Alain Fournier wrote:

The important point for this is at what speed was it passing
by. Being close is of no use if it is coming in too fast.
Does anyone have information about the objects speed?


See my earlier post in this thread.



--
Hop David
http://clowder.net/hop/index.html

redneckj wrote:

Sounds like an ideal type body for asteroid material return.
300-1,000 tons of material if you can figure a capture
to orbit method.

The important point for this is at what speed was it passing
by. Being close is of no use if it is coming in too fast.
Does anyone have information about the objects speed?

Alain Fournier