No big splash at Mars for 2007 WD5

Well it looks like no big splash at Mars for 2007 WD5.
Bob and Jim mentioned the latest update and here is the link.
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"2007 WD5 Mars Collision Effectively Ruled Out - Impact Odds now 1 in 10,000"
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news156.html

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I was hoping for a hit to wake up the news media.
Maybe one of the rovers will see it pass by and give us a first hand report.
Keep your eyes open for around January 30 and let me know if something
happens.
- LRK -


Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news156.html


2007 WD5 Mars Collision Effectively Ruled Out - Impact Odds now 1 in 10,000

Steve Chesley, Paul Chodas and Don Yeomans
NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office
January 9, 2008

Since our last update, we have received numerous tracking measurements
of asteroid 2007 WD5 from four different observatories. These new data
have led to a significant reduction in the position uncertainties during
the asteroid's close approach to Mars on Jan. 30, 2008. As a result, the
impact probability has dropped dramatically, to approximately 0.01% or 1
in 10,000 odds, effectively ruling out the possible collision with Mars.

Our best estimate now is that 2007 WD5 will pass about 26,000 km from
the planet's center (about 7 Mars radii from the surface) at around
12:00 UTC (4:00 am PST) on Jan. 30th. With 99.7% confidence, the pass
should be no closer than 4000 km from the surface.

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http://www.space-frontier.org/Projects/TheWatch/

Will Mankind Go the Way of the Dinosaurs?
Fact, Not Science Fiction: You have a greater chance of dying as the
result of an asteroid impact than in a jetliner crash. A
quarter-mile-wide asteroid slamming into our planet would cause more
destruction than a hundred hydrogen bombs. The latest research reveals
that, sooner or later, a catastrophic terrestrial impact is inevitable.
The Watch believes in the importance of finding these Near Earth Objects
(NEOs) before they find us.

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http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo/pha.html

Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on
parameters that measure the asteroid's potential to make threatening
close approaches to the Earth. Specifically, all asteroids with an Earth
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance (MOID) of 0.05 AU or less and an
absolute magnitude (H) of 22.0 or less are considered PHAs. In other
words, asteroids that can't get any closer to the Earth (i.e. MOID) than
0.05 AU (roughly 7,480,000 km or 4,650,000 mi) or are smaller than about
150 m (500 ft) in diameter (i.e. H = 22.0 with assumed albedo of 13%)
are not considered PHAs.

There are currently 918 known PHAs.

This ``potential'' to make close Earth approaches does not mean a PHA
will impact the Earth. It only means there is a possibility for such a
threat. By monitoring these PHAs and updating their orbits as new
observations become available, we can better predict the close-approach
statistics and thus their Earth-impact threat.

To learn more about the Earth impact threat, visit the NASA Ames
Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards site.
http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/

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http://www.arm.ac.uk/impact-hazard/

Impact Hazard NEO Armagh Observatory

Risks Comparable to NEOs
NEO Deflection Technology
NEO's: Origin, Collision Rate and Actuarial Risk
The Increasing Rate of Discovery of Asteroids
Objects Currently within 0.3AU of the Earth
Today's Map of the Inner Solar System
Comet and Asteroid Collision Probabilities
The Threat of Asteroidal and Cometary Impacts
Extreme albedo comets and the impact hazard (PDF Format)
Earth in the Cosmic Shooting Gallery (PDF Format)
The 1930 Brazilian Impact
Asteroid Impact Animations
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and more - LRK -

http://star.arm.ac.uk/home.html

The Armagh Observatory is a modern astronomical research institute with
a rich heritage. Founded in 1790 by Archbishop Richard Robinson, the
Observatory is one of the UK and Ireland's leading scientific research
establishments. Around 25 astronomers are actively studying Stellar
Astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy, and the Earth's climate.

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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