SOCIETY.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
>> I CAN WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT 
THIS.
WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT CITY KILLER 
OR A SINGLE ASTEROID WIPED OUT 
THE DINOSAUR, IT MAKES YOU A 
LITTLE NERVOUS.
SO PLEASE CALM US DOWN. 
>> WELL, YOU SHOULD BE VERY CALM
ABOUT THIS ASTEROID, A 1998 
QE-2.
WE ARE THE FIRST HUMANS AS FAR 
AS I KNOW THAT CAN DO SOMETHING 
ABOUT AN ASTEROID THAT HAD OUR 
NAME ON IT.
LIKE WE LIKE TO SAY, WE LIVE IN 
A COSMIC SHOOTING GALLERY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE SURFACE OF 
THE MOON, THERE ARE A LOT OF 
CRATERS.
IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY TO THE 
SURFACE OF THE EARTH, THERE ARE 
A LOT OF CRATERS.
SO WE DON'T EVER WANT TO GET HIT
BY UNOF THESE THINGS, IT WOULD 
BE A NICE THING IF THE UNG OR 
NASA GOT VERY MOTIVATED ABOUT 
THIS, WE WORKED WITH OUR 
COLLEAGUES AROUND THE WORLD TO 
DEVELOP A SYSTEM.
THIS WOULD BE SOME SORT OF 
SPACECRAFT THAT COULD DEFLECT AN
ASTEROID, BUT THE FIRST STEP IN 
ALL THIS IS DETECTING TELL.
YOU SEE HOW EVEN WITH OUR BEST 
INSTRUMENTS, THIS IMAGE IS STILL
BLURRY AND THE MOON IS SQUISHED 
IN THE DOPPLER ACCESS.
SO THIS IS ALL WE COULD DO 
BETTER WITH THIS IF WE WORKED AT
IT. 
>> AND IT'S IMPORTANT, BECAUSE 
WE ALL REMEMBER THE METEOR THAT 
HIT RUSSIA BUT A FEW FOLKS OUT 
THERE DON'T REMEMBER.
HERE'S THE SONIC BOOM.
OKAY.
SO THAT WAS REALLY SCARY.
ASTEROID WAS MUCH SMALLER HIM IT
BROKE APART AS IT ENTERED THE 
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
SCIENTISTS ACTUALLY DID NOT SEE 
THAT ONE COMING SOME WHY CAN 
THEY SEE THIS LATEST ONE AND WHY
DIDN'T THEY SEE THAT ONE?
>> WELL, THAT ONE WAS ESTIMATES 
ARE VAERKS BUT THERE ARE ABOUT 
14-METRES ACROSS, BARELY FROM 
THE HOME PLATE TO THE PITCHING 
MOUND.
BUT THIS ASTEROID IS ALMOST 2 
POINT, SO IT'S 3 KILOMETRES 
ACROSS, IT'S WELL OVER A MILE, A
MILE AND A HALF ACROSS.
SO IT'S A MUCH BIGGER THING.
YOU CAN SEE IT.
SEE IT ARE RADAR.
SO WHAT WE ARE HOPING TO DO 
TODAY ABOUTLET SEE, IT'S I GUESS
5:00 P.M. EASTERN, 2:00 P.M. 
PACIFIC TIME PEOPLE WITH 
TELESCOPES VERY SKILLED WILL BE 
ABLE TO GET A LOOK AT IT.
THIS THING IS ONE OF HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF THESE OBJECTS THAT 
ARE ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE FROM
THE SUN AS WE ARE.
MANY OF THEM CROSS THE EARTH'S 
ORBIT.
WE HARDLY KNOW A VERY SMALL 
PERCENTAGE OF THEM.
SO IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SPACE
ACTIONS AND AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS 
AROUND THE WORLD TO WORK
