ASTEROID IDA
IMAGE CREDIT: NASA
Today, an asteroid named "Apophis" is back in the news. First discovered in 2004, this flying piece of real estate has been played up in the media a few times now, usually with the scary heading "killer asteroid" or similar dreadful label. The idea is that we may have a nasty accident with this beastie in April of 2036.
At a recent conference in San Fransisco, a group of space scientists and engineers discussed the possibility of a killer asteroid and ways to deal with it. Of course, Apophis is the perfect poster child. It has a 1 in 45,000 chance of hitting the Earth, causing devastation on a regional level. It could wipe out a city quite easily and everything for miles and miles around...that is if it hits. That's a BIG if. What hasn't been emphasized in the media is that this chunk of rock has a much more likely chance of missing than it does of hitting. That being said, people win lotteries on longer odds.
What is the real story here? Scientists are calling for a political mechanism to put into play so that if and when something awful comes our way from the nether reaches of space, there is a method and a system to deal with it. Really, it's a prudent measure. Apophis is unlikely to cause us harm but it will be a near miss at best. This wake-up call serves to remind us that sometimes bad things happen and if we're smart we'll plan a way to mitigate the risk. The time to ante up is before it's too late. That's what the real story is. So go ahead and plan your retirement.
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