{"id":118851,"date":"2023-09-17T21:49:09","date_gmt":"2023-09-17T21:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leviolonrouge.com\/?p=118851"},"modified":"2023-09-17T21:49:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-17T21:49:09","slug":"exact-date-asteroid-could-smash-into-earth-with-force-of-22-atomic-bombs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leviolonrouge.com\/world-news\/exact-date-asteroid-could-smash-into-earth-with-force-of-22-atomic-bombs\/","title":{"rendered":"Exact date asteroid could smash into Earth with force of 22 atomic bombs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scientists have revealed the exact day an asteroid could smash into the Earth's surface, causing a crash as forceful as 22 atomic bombs.<\/p>\n

The space rock, named Bennu, passes by our planet every six years, but boffins reckon we could be on course for collision with the asteroid on September 24, 2182.<\/p>\n

While the potential doomsday date is a long way off, NASA is already working hard to divert Bennu and are in the "final leg" of the mission.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: NASA announces plans to privately build humanoid space robot to explore moon and Mars<\/b><\/p>\n

Seven years ago the agency sent a spacecraft up to the asteroid to collect samples, hoping the information they gathered would help them prevent a possibly catastrophic run-in.<\/p>\n

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Samples from Bennu are finally due to reach Earth this week, and will reach the Utah desert on Sunday (September 24) \u2013 exactly 159 years before Bennu's possible crash.<\/p>\n

Rich Burns, project manager for OSIRIS-REx at Nasa\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, told the Sunday Telegraph: "We are now in the final leg of this seven-year journey, and it feels very much like the last few miles of a marathon, with a confluence of emotions like pride and joy coexisting with a determined focus to complete the race well."<\/p>\n

While Bennu's potential impact might sound worrying, the odds of a devastating strike are just one in 2,700.<\/p>\n

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