Asteroid : Science World Report

Oct 28, 2013 10:52 AM EDT

Earth Got its Water From an Asteroid Impact Some 4.6 Billion Years Ago

A new finding claims that, Earth's water most likely came from an asteroid collision some 4.6 billion years ago, shortly after the solar system first took shape.

Oct 25, 2013 10:56 PM EDT

Planetary Asteroid Defense Initiative Adopted by United Nations

Following the United Nations General Assembly adoption of a suite of proposals to create an international decision-making mechanism for planetary asteroid defense, the Association of Space Explorers issued a challenge to the global community to take the next vital steps to confront the threat from d...

Oct 01, 2013 11:04 PM EDT

Researchers Provide a New Theory that Explains Seeds of Life in Asteroids

A new look at the early solar system introduces an alternative to a long-taught, but largely discredited, theory that seeks to explain how biomolecules were once able to form inside of asteroids.

Sep 05, 2013 07:00 PM EDT

German Scientists Work On Asteroid Defense System

Potential asteroid impact on Earth can have disastrous consequences. In order to prevent such collisions, earthbound space objects must be deflected. This can be accomplished using a space probe to impact the asteroid.

Aug 05, 2013 10:58 PM EDT

The Web of Big Asteroids Surrounding and Closing in on Earth

This graphic shows the orbits of all the known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), numbering over 1,400 as of early 2013.

Jun 02, 2013 10:28 PM EDT

Artist Rendering of Proposed Asteroid Capture

This artist's rendering shows what capturing an asteroid could look like.

May 30, 2013 08:01 AM EDT

NASA WISE Mission Discovers New Asteroid Families Between Mars and Jupiter

In the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, families of asteroids spin through space. Now, researchers have used NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to make some new finds about these objects.

May 29, 2013 08:55 AM EDT

How to Divert an Asteroid the Size of Nine Cruise Ships: Destroy it with a Nuclear Warhead

The asteroid the size of nine cruise ships, known as 1998 QE2 will harmlessly sail past Earth on May 31. Yet what would happen if it was set on a trajectory toward our planet? The best idea NASA has come up with would be to destroy it with a nuclear warhead.

May 01, 2013 03:54 PM EDT

Target of Asteroid Mission OSIRIS-REx Got a New Name: Bennu

The Asteroid that was selected to be explored by a NASA mission has a new name, after a naming contest involving thousands of young students around the world. A third-grade student in North Carolina won with his entry 'Bennu', the name of an Egyptian avian deity. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is planned...

Mar 28, 2013 02:54 PM EDT

Global Firestorm may Have Killed the Dinosaurs after Massive Asteroid Slammed into Earth

The massive asteroid that killed 80 percent of Earth's species may have triggered a global firestorm that wiped out the dinosaurs, according to a new study.

Mar 23, 2013 09:12 AM EDT

Comet, Not Asteroid, Killed Dinosaurs in Mass Extinction Event

A comet, not an asteroid, may have killed 70 percent of the world's species during the mass extinction that destroyed the dinosaurs.

Mar 20, 2013 10:17 AM EDT

Congress Hearing Reveals Asteroid Impact Threat: Hello, Doomsday!

Members of Congress have asked NASA what they're currently doing to combat the threat of asteroids. Apparently, there's not a lot that the space agency can do.