Space News: Asteroid 2012 DA14 to pass by Earth, Mars Curiosity update

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Podcasts Take Two

Feb 13, 2013

Listen • 5:25

Space News: Asteroid 2012 DA14 to pass by Earth, Mars Curiosity update

An asteroid that's 150 feet across is barreling towards our planet and it's expected to pass by Earth this Friday. We’ll speak about the asteroid, and other space news with Adam Steltzner, who recently led the landing team for the Mars Curiosity Rover.

This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows a simulation of asteroid 2012 DA14 approaching from the south as it passes through the Earth-moon system on Feb. 15, 2013. The 150-foot object will pass within 17,000 miles of the Earth. NASA scientists insist there is absolutely no chance of a collision as it passes.

An asteroid that's 150 feet across is barreling towards our planet and it's expected to pass by Earth this Friday. We’ll speak about the asteroid, and other space news with Adam Steltzner, who recently led the landing team for the Mars Curiosity Rover.

We interrupt this broadcast to bring you some moderately terrifying news from space. On Friday, a 150-foot wide asteroid known as 2012 DA14 will buzz by Earth.

We're pretty likely to survive the encounter, but just to be sure, we asked Adam Steltzner to calm our fears. He's an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and he most recently led the landing team for the Mars Curiosity Rover.

He'll also update us on the latest on Mars.