If you own a laptop, please bring it to class. You will submit your answers into the dropbox on Cobra using the answer sheet (Word, RTF).
You can find links to complete this lab in the procedure below or here.
Pre-Lab Assignment: The "vagabonds of the Solar System" can be found in the asteroid belt, beyond the orbit of Neptune, and some can be found around Earth's orbit. In this lab, we will consider the chances of one of these objects striking Earth and what the results would be from such a collision. Answer the following questions before coming to lab. You can find this information in section 7.1, and chapters 13 and 14 of the textbook.
1) What is a meteoroid?
2) What is a meteor?
3) What is a meteorite?
4) Where are most of the asteroids located in the Solar System? Provide a name and a location.
5) Comets exist in two major regions in the Solar System. What are the names and locations of these two regions?
Objective: In this lab, you will encounter some of the larger asteroid and comet impacts that have occurred on Earth and elsewhere in the Solar System. You will also investigate some recent news articles about near misses, recent impacts, and possible future impacts on Earth.
Introduction: Collisions play an extremely important role in forming the surface features of planets. It is believed that Earth obtained much of its water from the collision of comets in the early formation of the solar system. It is also believed that major extinctions occurring on Earth might have been a consequence of major collisions. Is there any chance of a major collision occurring in our lifetime? If so, what consequences will it have on the planet - as well as us? Can humans survive such a cataclysmic event? This lab discusses some of the major collisions in the history of Earth, the consequences of a large collision occurring today, and the possibility of future collisions.
Procedure: During the lab period, watch the excerpt from the History Channel special titled "Meteors: Fire In The Sky." Visit the specified websites for the remaining questions. Your answers to video labs should be typed and in complete sentences. You may use the answer sheet (Word, RTF)
1. Describe the devastation that would result if an asteroid exploded over Boston.
2. Why are asteroids a problem for Earth when they exist in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter?
3A. How large was the asteroid that astronomers think may have killed the
dinosaurs?
3B. List some of the environmental effects of this impact.
4A. How can you distinguish a rocky meteorite from a regular rock?
4B. How can you find iron meteorites?
5A. How do astronomers explain the lack of a meteorite in Tunguska and the
Barringer crater?
5B. What evidence exists to support this idea?
6. How does Earth erase impact craters?
7. Explain why meteorite ALH84001 became the "most important rock in history".
8A. Describe what happened on Jupiter on 1994 July 16.
8B. Describe the effects of this event on Jupiter's atmosphere.
9A. Describe the CAPS mission.
9B. How would they deflect asteroids headed for Earth?
10A. What kinds of information did NEAR gather from the asteroid Eros?
10B. Where is the NEAR spacecraft now?
Internet questions:
Read the article about the asteroid Apophis, which was discovered in 2004.
nasa.gov/solar-system/nasa-analysis-earth-is-safe-from-asteroid-apophis-for-100-plus-years/
11A. How large is this asteroid?
11B. When it was discovered, what did scientists calculate as the probability of impact in 2029?
11C. How were they able to determine that it would not actually hit Earth in 2029?
11D. How does the distance of its 2029 flyby compare to the Moon's average distance of 380,000 km?
That article mentions a smaller asteroid (DA14) that was predicted to approach Earth in 2013. It flew by as expected, but on the same day, a previously undiscovered asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia. Read the article about that event and watch the included videos.
theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/06/chelyabinsk-meteor-russia
12A. In what ways were people injured by this event?
12B. What fraction of the original asteroid was not lost in the atmosphere and produced meteorites?
There are some unusual ideas out there from people determined to protect Earth from a doomsday asteroid. Read about one called the "Gravity Tractor."
13A. Briefly describe what a gravity tractor is.
13B. How can it deflect an asteroid heading toward Earth?
14. In a paragraph (no less than 5 sentences), describe your own opinion
regarding asteroids which could strike Earth and cause global devastation.
Be sure to answer all of the following questions:
Do you fear such an impact?
Do you feel it is too unlikely to be concerned about?
Should we be working on the gravity tractor idea, should we be doing
something different to prepare for this kind of event, or should we not
bother preparing at all?