Asteroids

Asteroids

Read a scientific article about asteroids to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

A

In 2010, the planetary defence team at NASA had identified and logged 90 per cent of the asteroids near Earth measuring 1km wide. These 'near-Earth objects', or NEOs, are the size of mountains and include anything within 50 million kilometres of Earth's orbit. With an estimated 50 left to log, NASA says none of the 887 it knows about are a significant danger to the planet.

B

Now NASA is working towards logging some of the smaller asteroids, those measuring 140 metres wide or more. Of the 25,000 estimated asteroids of this size, so far about 8,000 have been logged, leaving 17,000 unaccounted for. Considering that a 19-metre asteroid that exploded above the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia in 2013 injured 1,200 people, these middle-sized asteroids would be a serious danger if they enter Earth's orbit.

C

Whether NASA can find the remaining middle-sized NEOs depends on getting the money to build NEOCam, a 0.5-metre space telescope which would use infrared light to locate asteroids. If it did get the money, it could probably achieve its goal in ten years. Once logged, the planetary defence team would still need to work out how to defend the planet against being hit by the truly worrying asteroids – the PHAs.

D

'Potentially Hazardous Asteroids' are rocks close enough to pass within 7.5 million kilometres of Earth's orbit. NASA has created a map of 1,400 PHAs, none of which are expected to be a threat in the next one hundred years. With technology already available, NASA can track these objects and make predictions about possible impact, at which point two defence solutions could be launched.

E

The first is DART – the Double Asteroid Redirection Test. Plans are scheduled to test DART on the moon of an asteroid called Didymos. 'Didymoon' is 150 metres wide, orbiting its 800-metre mother, and hopefully the impact of DART will knock it out of its orbit enough for Earth-based telescopes to pick up.

F

Another suggested defence against a PHA on course to hit Earth is to blow it up using a nuclear weapon. It may sound like a plot from a film, and it was the subject of the 1998 film Armageddon, but the Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response (HAMMER) is a genuine NASA proposal. The eight-ton rockets would be fired at an approaching asteroid with the hope of bumping it off course. If the asteroid was too close to Earth for this plan to work, the rockets would carry nuclear bombs to blow it up instead.

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Average: 4.1 (69 votes)

Hi orhannt,

The question does not ask if we are absolutely sure we are safe but rather if 'we appear to be' in significant danger. Given that 887 have been checked and found to be safe and that only 50 remain (presumably the ones which were less of a priority), I think it is correct to say that we do not appear to be in significant danger, even if a small chance remains.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Gijs on Tue, 04/01/2022 - 15:11

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Depends on the possible results of the impact given by the NASA.... If it is life- threatening for me I definately would say my farewells to my loved ones and find out if there is a possibility to stay alive. Other then that.... I can't say and I can only hope not to experience something like that.

Submitted by vishnu_saddikuti on Mon, 08/11/2021 - 03:59

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In task 2,q1 if only "Earth does not appear to be in any danger from any asteroids" was given, will the answer be not given?

Submitted by Abrarhussain on Sun, 07/11/2021 - 22:34

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If I heard that an asteroid was near the Earth , I would search health and safety rules from the Internet to protect my self.

Submitted by khaoula ghar on Wed, 03/11/2021 - 00:10

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I'll feel so scary about my family and my friends and everything i love; i'll feel so blue for leaving the world without realizing my dreams, the idea of leaving this world is such frightening.
But I think ruther than stay worry about the future i'll live the moment with my riends and family. Also i'll never forget to pray to god to protect us frpm this hazardous asteroid.

Submitted by Suraj paliwal on Wed, 20/10/2021 - 15:57

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I spent time with my friends and family. I remember my days. I will see old photos of me. I will tell my crush first and last time I love you. That's so painful.

Submitted by Stela Stoycheva on Mon, 16/08/2021 - 15:25

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Oh, I hope that`s just in fantastic movies... I watched broadcast for the asteroid of Chelyabinsk in Russia /dangerous, scary.../ Maybe I will watching the radio, news and I will listen how we need to protect us, my family I will follow goverment rules. If my home is in danger, I will left and I will call my family, friends... Pff, I will be in panic bassicaly, but I think I will try to be calm. I hope God will bless us!