Doomsday Asteroid Misses Earth…This Time

The one-thousand-foot-wide asteroid has made the first in a series of close crossings of the earth's path.   In 2009, scientists predicted that this asteroid would have some close brushes with out planet, with a small possibility of a devastating collision.  

This time, the fast moving space rock missed us by more than nine-million miles.   But 16 years from now, it's predicted to speed within 18,000 miles of earth.  That's as close as some of our communications satellites.

Then, in the year 2036 it will pass within a few thousand miles of us, with the slight chance it could impact the planet.   Scientists at NASA have calculated that if this asteroid slams into earth, it would generate a blast equivalent to more than 500 megatons of TNT.

Nasa's Plan If An Asteroid Strikes: