[ExI] (NASA.gov) NASA to chronicle close Earth flyby of asteroid (fwd)

[Tomasz Rola]

[

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2013/feb/HQ_M13-031_Asteroid_Flyby_Coverage.txt

]

Feb. 13, 2013

Steve Cole 
Headquarters, Washington                                  
202-358-0918 
stephen.e.cole at nasa.gov 

D.C. Agle 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 
818-393-9011 
agle at jpl.nasa.gov 

MEDIA ADVISORY: M13-031

NASA TO CHRONICLE CLOSE EARTH FLYBY OF ASTEROID

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA Television will provide commentary starting 
at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST) on Friday, Feb. 15, during the close, but 
safe, flyby of a small near-Earth asteroid named 2012 DA14. NASA 
places a high priority on tracking asteroids and protecting our home 
planet from them. This flyby will provide a unique opportunity for 
researchers to study a near-Earth object up close. 

The half-hour broadcast from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 
Pasadena, Calif., will incorporate real-time animation to show the 
location of the asteroid in relation to Earth, along with live or 
near real-time views of the asteroid from observatories in Australia, 
weather permitting. 

At the time of its closest approach to Earth at approximately 2:25 
p.m. EST (11:25 a.m. PST/ 19:25 UTC), the asteroid will be about 
17,150 miles (27,600 kilometers) above Earth's surface. 

The commentary will be available via NASA TV and streamed live online 
at: 

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 

and 

http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2 

In addition to the commentary, near real-time imagery of the 
asteroid's flyby before and after closest approach, made available to 
NASA by astronomers in Australia and Europe, weather permitting, will 
be streamed beginning at about noon EST (9 a.m. PST) and continuing 
through the afternoon at the following website: 

http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2 

A Ustream feed of the flyby from a telescope at NASA's Marshall Space 
Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will be streamed for three hours 
starting at 9 p.m. EST (8 p.m. CST). To view the feed and ask 
researchers questions about the flyby via Twitter, visit: 

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc 

The NASA Near Earth Objects (NEO) Program at the agency's headquarters 
in Washington, manages and funds the search, study, and monitoring of 
NEOs, or asteroids and comets, whose orbits periodically bring them 
close to the Earth. NASA's study of NEOs provides important clues to 
understanding the origin of our solar system. The objects also are a 
repository of natural resources and could become waystations for 
future exploration. In collaboration with other external 
organizations, one of the program's key goals is to search and 
hopefully mitigate potential NEO impacts on Earth. JPL conducts the 
NEO program's technical and scientific activities. 

For more information, including graphics and animations showing the 
flyby of 2012 DA14, visit: 

www.nasa.gov/asteroidflyby 

For more information about asteroids and near-Earth objects, visit: 

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch 


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