There is no denying how news surrounding space technology and travel have been exciting in the last few years. A few hours earlier, NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly together with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, would finally be returning to the planet following a 340-day space mission. Their stint on the International Space Station has been the longest span a human being has been in space and it is expected that it would pave the way for future long-term missions.
Elsewhere, a formal test program surrounding the recently proven concept of gravitational waves has officially begun. Currently, the Lisa Pathfinder is set to uncover the first samples of these elusive cosmic ripples. In uncovering more about gravitational waves, scientists would be able to measure the distances of faraway stars, planets and other celestial objects.
Truly there is no more exciting time to be interested in space than it is now. However despite the exhilarating recent developments, one upcoming event is not as rosy as the others.
NASA recently confirmed that a whale-sized asteroid would be whizzing closely by the planet next week. 2013 TX68 clocks in at 100 feet and contains a whopping 1 million tons of TNT. Thankfully, NASA scientists have since confirmed that the asteroid would not be colliding with Earth, in fact the asteroid would be passing by much farther away than initially assumed.
"We already knew this asteroid, 2013 TX68, would safely fly past Earth in early March, but this additional data allow us to get a better handle on its orbital path. The data indicate that this small asteroid will probably pass much farther away from Earth than previously thought" explained Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies.
Still these astronomers claim that the upcoming near-collision would not be the last humanity would see of 2013 TX68. It is expected that the asteroid would be passing by the planet by 2017.
