Gadget Crunch » asteroid http://www.gadgetcrunch.net What Will They Think of Next? We'll Tell You. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:49:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc Asteroid on Collision Course with Mars http://www.gadgetcrunch.net/2007/12/21/asteroid-on-collision-course-with-mars/ http://www.gadgetcrunch.net/2007/12/21/asteroid-on-collision-course-with-mars/#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:54:13 +0000 Staff http://gadgetcrunch.net/?p=207 An asteroid, known as 2007 WD5, is on course to hit Mars near the end of January. The asteroid, was discovered in November and scientist had the odds of it striking the red planet at 350 to 1, but recently upgraded those odds to 75 to 1.

“We know that it’s going to fly by Mars and most likely going to miss, but there’s a possibility of an impact,” he said.Mars asteroid

If the asteroid does smash into Mars, it will probably hit near the equator close to where the rover Opportunity has been exploring the Martian plains since 2004. The robot is not in danger because it lies outside the impact zone. Speeding at 8 miles a second, a collision would carve a hole the size of the famed Meteor Crater in Arizona.

As long as it’s not hitting Earth, this flying rock stuff is kind of cool.

[via: CNN] [Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona]

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