An asteroid 5,000 times larger than the Chelyabinsk meteor that exploded over Russia in 2013 may be approaching Earth. The Chelyabinsk meteor was caused by a near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth every six years. However, a new asteroid threat may be evident, but, this time, NASA is ready. Asteroid Bennu, the new threat to Earth may strike the planet sometime in the 22nd century. The destruction could be apocalyptic, with a mass extinction event in the making. Would we ever know if the danger of an asteroid strike was imminent? Or would the government simply keep such an event a secret in order to overt chaos in the final days?
Asteroid Bennu Aims for Extinction
The official name of Bennu is 101955 Bennu, discovered by the LINEAR Project on September 11, 1999. It has been listed third on the Sentry Risk Table for impact with Earth. Bennu is approximately 1,614 feet in diameter, and NASA has been keeping a close eye on Bennu since its discovery. Interestingly, a foreign space object the same size as Bennu impacting Earth is calculated as plausible about every 130,000 years. Researchers at NASA and other scientists have calculated eight different impact times for Bennu ranging from 2169 and 2199 with varying degrees of speculation. Could this be the end?
NASA Plans Mission to Protect Earth
It is strange to see such a push for space exploration, especially missions with an emphasis on colonization. Do NASA and the government know something we don’t? In an effort to thwart a possible extinction event via asteroid, NASA has planned the OSIRIS-Rex mission. They hope to get more data about Bennu, but won’t receive that data until 2023. The spacecraft is projected to reach Bennu by 2018. Oddly, NASA finds humor in the threat, also planning to leave a disk of artwork on the asteroid during the data collection mission.
More Space Rocks Hurling Toward Us
Bennu is not the only threat to the Earth. Scientists have identified two other threats hurling toward us with impact looming. 2009 FD is roughly a quarter mile wide with a possible impact date ranging from 2185 to 2196. Another impact worthy space rock worth watching out for is 1950 AD, which is larger than 2009 FD, a mile long, with a projected impact date of 2880. The impact of 1950 AD could be catastrophic, changing the Earth’s surface forever. Hopefully, NASA can take a little time away from Mars rover Curiosity to save the planet.
