Schoolboy corrects NASA 'killer asteroid' maths

swiped from The Age.

__________________________

April 16, 2008 - 8:04AM


A 13-year-old German schoolboy corrected NASA's estimates on the chances of an asteroid colliding with Earth, a German newspaper reported today, after spotting the boffins had miscalculated.


Nico Marquardt used telescopic findings from the Institute of Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) to calculate that there was a one in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth, the Potsdamer Neuerster Nachrichten reported.


NASA had previously estimated the chances at only one in 45,000 but told its sister organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA), that the young whizzkid had got it right.

The schoolboy took into consideration the risk of Apophis running into one or more of the 40,000 satellites orbiting Earth during its path close to the planet on April 13, 2029.


Those satellites travel at 3.07 kilometres a second, at up to 35,880 kilometres above earth - and the Apophis asteroid will pass by earth at a distance of 32,500 kilometres. If the asteroid strikes a satellite in 2029, that will change its trajectory making it hit Earth on its next orbit in 2036.

Both NASA and Marquardt agree that if the asteroid does collide with Earth, it will create a ball of iron and iridium 320 metres wide and weighing 200 billion tonnes, which will crash into the Atlantic Ocean.


The shockwaves from that would create huge tsunami waves, destroying both coastlines and inland areas, whilst creating a thick cloud of dust that would darken the skies indefinitely.

The 13-year old made his discovery as part of a regional science competition for which he submitted a project entitled: "Apophis - The Killer Astroid".

__________________________


wow. 45,000 and 450? that's a huge discrepancy. either way the manufactured image you see at the top of this post? could be a possibility. you know what sucks tho? my first instinct is to say "well, i guess that strikes a blow for religious types, cos why would God be so willing to destroy us so soon and with space-debris, of all things?", but then i realise that the religious would use the asteroid as a harbinger for the End Of Days. in each case, religion once again barely covers its ass. why do i bring up religion in a post about asteroids and eventual impending doom at the hands of the one true god, SPACE? i'll save that for another post. i will however say, that it's got a lot to do with this guy.


V.