ASTEROID GANG COULD ROUGH US UP!

Masked by the glare of the sun, sneaking into Russian airspace and then continuing on its path to plow into Chelyabinsk and cause the injury of more than 1500 people, the Chelyabinsk Asteroid left the scientists of earth startled and wondering from where the Earth’s next threat would come. The people of the world once comforted by the lack of asteroid attacks, finally came to understand that the threat was real and could happen at any time.

While this new awareness is excellent, the fact that scientists can’t agree where the asteroid came from should make one worry. Carlos & Raul de la Fuente Marcos of the Computense University of Madrid have their own thoughts which are to be published in a paper accepted by the journal - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Unfortunately other astronomers disagree saying that it’s similarities to other near-Earth Asteroids orbits is merely a coincidence.

Carlos & Raul’s theory is that the Russian Meteor may not have been alone orbiting the Sun. They claim that the Chelyabinsk meteor may have been a fragment of a larger parent asteroid. Asteroid 2011 EO40 measures around 200 meters across and is a candidate. This asteroid as well as the others that run in its gang have an orbit that tends to wander. While it passes close to Venus, Earth & Mars, it experiences gravitational perturbations, gradually scattering additional asteroids in the center of the Asteroid Gang.

So what do they believe is next? That further observations of the asteroids currently in question need to be made and their orbits need to be refined. Ideally, comparing samples from the Chelyabinsk superbolide and samples from 2011 EO40, but since that isn’t possible, perhaps gathering high-resolution spectra and analyze their composition.

Not so concerned with proving their similarities let’s go out on a limb and accept it, however while this particular asteroid isn’t “planned” to be in close proximity to Earth until September 23, 2025, the answer may lie in being more proactive and figuring out how to expel the next threat to Earth. (*NOTE: I still am curious as to the MagBeam propulsion system and if by using only a single platform it could act as a ‘repulsor’ beam to an item flying towards it!)