This 74-foot asteroid approaching Earth today! Clocked at a staggering 76000 kmph | Tech News

This 74-foot asteroid approaching Earth today! Clocked at a staggering 76000 kmph

A huge 74-foot asteroid will just about miss Earth today. Here’s what we know about it.

By: SHAURYA TOMER
| Updated on: Aug 22 2022, 16:37 IST
This asteroid is worth $10,000 Quadrillion
Asteroid belt
1/6 hereas other asteroids are generally made up of ice or rocks, this unique asteroid is made up of nickel, which is one of the building blocks of the solar system. One of the biggest asteroids in our Solar System, the 16 Psyche asteroid is made up of gold, nickel and iron deposits and is supposedly worth more than Earth's economy. The asteroid is worth nearly $10,000 Quadrillion. (NASA)
Asteroid belt
2/6 The Psyche Mission will also help scientists to study and understand iron cores, a previously unexplored building block of planet formation. The 16 Psyche asteroid mission is a part of NASA's Discovery missions. (Pixabay)
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3/6 The findings of this mission could enable scientists to develop a way of using asteroids as resources. Asteroids could come in handy when building structures in space, such as bases on other planets or even the Moon. Due to their 85 percent metal structure, they could be an excellent source of minerals. It is even said that the raw materials extracted from asteroids could even exceed the metal reserves present on Earth. (NASA)
Asteroid belt
4/6 The mission has been in the phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations since March 2021. Since the launch window is limited, scientists and engineers have worked round the clock in order to finish the spacecraft's assembly in time. However, due to unexpected software issues, the mission has now been delayed and pushed to 2023. (NASA)
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5/6 NASA said, "Due to the late delivery of the spacecraft's flight software and testing equipment, NASA does not have sufficient time to complete the testing needed ahead of its remaining launch period this year, which ends on October 11. The mission team needs more time to ensure that the software will function properly in flight." (NASA)
Asteroid belt
6/6 In order to reach the asteroid, the spacecraft will fly by Mars for a gravity assist in May 2023 and, in early 2026, orbit around asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA says that the Psyche mission is expected to launch in both 2023 and 2024, but due to the uncertainties, the exact dates of these potential launch periods are yet to be determined. (NASA)
Asteroid belt
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Asteroid 2022 QV will pass very close to Earth today. (NASA/JPL)

An asteroid named Asteroid 2022 QV is headed for Earth today. If all goes well, it will miss our planet by just a few million miles. The asteroid is expected to pass Earth at a distance of 8.4 million kilometers at 22:01. NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near Earth Objects (NEOs). If any celestial object is at risk of Earth impact, it red flags it and issues an alert. The Asteroid 2022 QV has also been red flagged by NASA. Although the asteroid is not heading for impact with Earth, it was still classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object due to its close approach to Earth. Asteroids which come closer than 28 million miles from Earth's orbit are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids, according to NASA.

The Asteroid 2022 QV will fly past Earth today, August 22 at 22:01 at a distance of just 8.4 kilometers from Earth at a staggering speed of 76,000 kilometers per hour. The asteroid is expected to be nearly the size of an aeroplane.

According to NASA, this will be the second asteroid passing by Earth today as another asteroid named Asteroid 2022 QM just flew past Earth at 11:24 today at a distance of 7.1 million kilometers from Earth. Another asteroid is expected to pass through Earth tomorrow, on August 23.

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What if an asteroid is headed for impact with Earth?

To counter this scenario, NASA has launched the DART mission costing a staggering $240 million. The aim of the mission is to smash a spacecraft into the Dimorphos asteroid to deflect it away from its path. While this asteroid in no way threatens Earth, the NASA asteroid mission is to carry out an experiment to gain greater knowledge as to what happens when a craft is crashed against a space rock.

This knowledge will be used if an actual asteroid threatens to crash against the Earth. It will help avert an Armageddon on Earth and perhaps, even save humanity from extinction.

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First Published Date: 22 Aug, 16:33 IST
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