This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/usa/512948-six-asteroids-earth-biden-inauguration/
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Statue of Liberty-sized space rock among six asteroids set to make ‘close approach’ to Earth on Biden’s inauguration day | Statue of Liberty-sized space rock among six asteroids set to make ‘close approach’ to Earth on Biden’s inauguration day |
| (7 months later) | |
| Joe Biden’s reign as US president is due to get off to a rocky start – a barrage of asteroids are set to make “close approaches” to our planet as the Democrat takes the oath of office on Wednesday. | Joe Biden’s reign as US president is due to get off to a rocky start – a barrage of asteroids are set to make “close approaches” to our planet as the Democrat takes the oath of office on Wednesday. |
| NASA has identified six asteroids that will blaze past Earth on inauguration day. The space agency labelled the plethora of space rocks as Near Earth Objects (NEOs), meaning they warrant close scrutiny. | NASA has identified six asteroids that will blaze past Earth on inauguration day. The space agency labelled the plethora of space rocks as Near Earth Objects (NEOs), meaning they warrant close scrutiny. |
| “NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood,” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory says. | “NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood,” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory says. |
| The tightest shave will see an asteroid come significantly closer to Earth than the Moon, the largest passing visitor measuring up to 305 feet (93 meters) in width. In a weird inauguration-day quirk of fate, the Statue of Liberty in New York is also 93 meters tall. | The tightest shave will see an asteroid come significantly closer to Earth than the Moon, the largest passing visitor measuring up to 305 feet (93 meters) in width. In a weird inauguration-day quirk of fate, the Statue of Liberty in New York is also 93 meters tall. |
| All the asteroids are forecast to safely fly by our planet and continue on their journeys through space. However, NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies will still be closely monitoring their progress, due to their “close approach” status. Astronomers have great interest in NEOs because they are largely unchanged from when the solar system was created around 4.6 billion years ago. | All the asteroids are forecast to safely fly by our planet and continue on their journeys through space. However, NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies will still be closely monitoring their progress, due to their “close approach” status. Astronomers have great interest in NEOs because they are largely unchanged from when the solar system was created around 4.6 billion years ago. |
| Biden will be sworn into office at midday on Wednesday during a ceremony in Washington, DC. Donald Trump’s presidency saw the United States greatly renew its interest in space exploration. | Biden will be sworn into office at midday on Wednesday during a ceremony in Washington, DC. Donald Trump’s presidency saw the United States greatly renew its interest in space exploration. |
| Trump threw his weight behind NASA’s goal of sending astronauts to Mars, and backed efforts to return to the moon. He also established the Space Force as an independent branch of the military. Biden’s plans for America’s space program remain largely unknown, and his campaign made little mention of its space priorities. | Trump threw his weight behind NASA’s goal of sending astronauts to Mars, and backed efforts to return to the moon. He also established the Space Force as an independent branch of the military. Biden’s plans for America’s space program remain largely unknown, and his campaign made little mention of its space priorities. |
| Like this story? Share it with a friend! | Like this story? Share it with a friend! |
| Dear readers and commenters, | |
| We have implemented a new engine for our comment section. We hope the transition goes smoothly for all of you. Unfortunately, the comments made before the change have been lost due to a technical problem. We are working on restoring them, and hoping to see you fill up the comment section with new ones. You should still be able to log in to comment using your social-media profiles, but if you signed up under an RT profile before, you are invited to create a new profile with the new commenting system. | |
| Sorry for the inconvenience, and looking forward to your future comments, | |
| RT Team. |