SUBJECTS: Science
YEARS: 5–6, 7–8
Imagine an asteroid, half the size of a football field, hurtling towards Earth at a speed of 28,000 kilometres per hour!
Watch this clip to find out about Asteroid 2012 DA14 and whether it poses any threat to Earth.
You will also discover why mining prospectors are keen to capture asteroids such as this one. Could the next gold rush happen in space?
Things to think about
- 1.What is an asteroid? Do asteroids sometimes collide with the Earth? Why might miners be interested in capturing them? How would they capture an asteroid?
- 2.Why won't Asteroid 2012 DA14 bounce off the Earth's atmosphere? And why won't it be trapped by Earth's gravitation? Listen as Dr Karl describes the three different ways materials could be harnessed from an asteroid. What are these methods? What materials might an asteroid contain that miners are interested in?
- 3.Explain why scientists don't think Asteroid 2012 DA14 poses a threat to Earth. Do you agree with Dr Karl that it will one day be possible to mine asteroids and other celestial objects such as the Moon? Do you think humans should attempt space mining? Write a persuasive text or essay presenting your view.
- 4.Find out more about these two companies, which are working towards harvesting resources from space: Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries. Find out about their missions, their exploration technology and their proposed costs and timelines.
Date of broadcast: 15 Feb 2013
Copyright
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).