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Chance for a Tunguska Sized Impact on Mars

Posted by Soulskill on from the flying-rocks-that-will-not-kill-us dept.

Multiple users have written to tell us of an LA Times report that an asteroid may hit Mars on January 30th. The asteroid is roughly 160 feet across, and JPL-based researchers say that it will have a 1-in-75 chance of striking Mars. Those odds are very high for this type of event, and scientists are hoping to witness an impact of a similar scope to the Tunguska disaster. From the LA Times: "Because scientists have never observed an asteroid impact -- the closest thing being the 1994 collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy with Jupiter -- such a collision on Mars would produce a 'scientific bonanza,' Chesley said."

10 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. Glad it's not us, eh? by Loibisch · · Score: 4, Funny

    [...] and scientists are hoping to witness an impact of a similar scope to the Tunguska disaster. Won't somebody PLEASE think of the marsians? :(
    1. Re:Glad it's not us, eh? by Drasil · · Score: 4, Funny

      The Martians will be fine. The Old Ones just need to grok the rock and remove it from the universe, at which point there will be nothing to see here.

  2. Has someone by nrgy · · Score: 4, Funny

    informed the UAC base on Mars of the impending DOOM that is heading there way?

  3. scientific bonanza? by rucs_hack · · Score: 4, Funny

    Um, so first a huge collection of rocks smacks into Jupiter, now another may hit Mars, and they're excited?

    They sound awfully like ranging shots to me, I'm more inclined to get Venus to light the third cigarette and then be wery, wery, qwiet...

  4. UAC ? by hostyle · · Score: 5, Funny

    Windows has detected an incoming Asteroid.

    If you started this action, continue.

      [Continue] [Cancel]

    User Account Control helps stop unauthorized changes to your planet.

    --
    Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
  5. beagle... by apodyopsis · · Score: 4, Funny

    Get the cameras rolling, I'm sure it'll be a better impact then the Beagle meteorite simulation of a few years ago.

    :-)

    (I do feel bad for poking fun at Beagle, many people much smarter then me put a lot of work into that probe.)

  6. Sorry Mate... by PinkyDead · · Score: 4, Funny

    Prime Directive and all that.

    --
    Genesis 1:32 And God typed :wq!
  7. Re:Do the rovers have seismographic instruments? by 6Yankee · · Score: 3, Funny

    If the picture's upside-down and the rover's not going anywhere, it was a big one.

  8. Statement from the Martian Ambassador by goodEvans · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ack ack ack ack, ack-ack ack ack-ack.

    Ack, ack ACK-ack-ack, ack-ack ack-ack ack. Ack ack, ack-ack-ack-ack, ack ack ack.

    Ack ack,

    Ack-ack Ack-ack-ack-ack.

  9. I'm guessing by argStyopa · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's where Phobos and Deimos came from as well.

    Maybe they get a baby brother for Christmas!

    --
    -Styopa