MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By Leonard David – “A massive asteroid that may be on a collision course with Earth should be studied in more detail, according to a former Apollo astronaut who specializes in monitoring potentially hazardous space rocks.

Asteroid 2011 AG5 has been the object of attention because scientists say it may swing close to our planet in the year 2040.

The big space rock is on NASA’s impact hazards list, but more definitive tracking of the object is still needed, scientists say. In fact, some near-Earth object (NEO) experts say it’s time to start hammering out a plan in case the asteroid needs to be deflected.

Former Apollo astronaut Russell Schweickart is calling upon NASA to undertake a detailed engineering and mission planning analysis of 2011 AG5.

In a March 3 open letter to NASA administrator Charles Bolden, Schweickart spotlighted what he sees as the potential deflection challenges posed by asteroid 2011 AG5, should the object happen to be headed for a so-called keyhole in 2023, setting up a possible impact with Earth in 2040.” Read more.

NASA: Asteroid 150 – 200 Feet in Diameter with the Destructive Power of a Thermonuclear Bomb May Hit Earth in February 2013 – “To avert a possible catastrophe – this time set for February 2013 – scientists suggest confronting asteroid 2012 DA14 with either paint or big guns. The stickler is that time has long run out to build a spaceship to carry out the operation. NASA’s data shows the 60-meter asteroid, spotted by Spanish stargazers in February, will whistle by Earth in 11 months. Its trajectory will bring it within a hair’s breadth of our planet, raising fears of a possible collision.” Read more.

U.S. Government Scientists Simulate the Moment a One Megaton Nuclear Bomb Destroys a Massive Earth-Bound Asteroid – “At a US government lab in New Mexico, government scientists race to launch a one megaton nuclear weapon toward a giant asteroid, hoping the massive explosion will save the earth. While this may sound like the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster, in fact it is the latest hi-tech computer simulation carried out by government scientists. A team at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a United States Department of Energy facility in New Mexico, used a supercomputer to model a nuclear weapon’s anti-asteroid effectiveness.” Read more.