Educational Program Focuses On Quarter-Mile Wide Asteroid, Could Impact Earth In 2036

In December, 2004 scientists around the world raised the planet's level of anxiety by announcing that a 1,400-foot-wide asteroid had a good chance of slamming into our planet on Friday, April 13, 2029.

After calculating it had a 1 in 40 chance of impacting us, and assigning it a four on the 1-to-10 Torino scale that is used to gauge the threats posed by near-Earth asteroids and comets, astronomers checked their image archives. When they found five other sightings of the asteroid, the calculations dropped the probability to zero.

However, last year more calculations and analysis of the asteroid's orbit concluded that if the object passed through a "keyhole" in 2019 in which all the necessary conditions coincided, Apophis would indeed impact into the Pacific Ocean in 2036, causing a tsunami of epic proportions and a worldwide disaster.

The Space Foundation, whose education programs are headed by Mr. Iain Probert, have just released a new product called the "Apophis Virtual Lab." The online program was announced just a couple of weeks ago, and statistics on use are not yet available, but reactions from the press, educators and space exploration experts is promising.

Third grade students from Manitou Springs Elementary School in Colorado were the first class nationwide to participate in this interactive science program and use scientific methods in a virtual lab to "save" the planet from destruction.

The release of the lab followed the premiere on October 3 of NOVA scienceNow on PBS, which also addressed near-Earth asteroids, including Apophis. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is both the host of NOVA scienceNow and featured in "Asteroid Challenge, Target: Earth." Tyson is a Space Foundation board member, astrophysicist, and director of the Hayden Planetarium in the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

"Scientists tell us the asteroid Apophis could pose a real threat to Earth," said Space Foundation Senior Vice President of Education and Workforce Development Dr. Patricia Arnold. "'Asteroid Challenge, Target: Earth' engages the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers who will be responsible for developing and implementing an effective solution to this real life situation and problem. This virtual lab is an educational and fun program that has relevance to students while improving their science and math skills."

Using the virtual lab, students study asteroid composition and orbital mechanics and conduct virtual experiments to determine the trajectory of Apophis and how to divert it away from Earth's orbit, choosing from among such options as exploding it, attaching a solar sail to push it away, and using a gravitational tugboat method to pull it out of harm's way.

Manitou Springs Elementary School third grade teacher and Space Foundation Teacher Liaison Christi Marquardt led her class in the nationwide debut of this interactive science program Wednesday, October 4. To experience the virtual lab, click on the FMI link below and select the Apophis Virtual Lab inside the "Mission" box.

FMI: http://education.spacefoundation.org