Asteroid now likely to steer clear of Mars
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The possibility of a collision between Mars and an approaching asteroid has been effectively ruled out, according to scientists watching the space rock.
Tracking measurements of asteroid 2007 WD5 taken from four observatories have greatly reduced uncertainties about its Jan. 30 close approach to Mars. The odds of impact have dropped to 1 in 10,000, the Near-Earth Object Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a website posting Thursday.
Scientists now estimate that the asteroid will pass between 16,000 and 2,480 miles from Mars’ surface.
The asteroid was discovered in November. Initial observations raised the odds of an impact to as high as 1 in 25.
