A real life scope
- A telescope last month discovered an asteroid 2020 SO damaging the Earth.
- Scientists now believe that the object is part of the Atlas Centurion rocket since 1966.
- The rocket propelled NASA’s Surveyor 2 to the moon before going into orbit
As any school student can tell you, what comes up must come down – but it usually doesn’t take 54 years.
Back in 1966, behind an attempt to land on the moon, the NASA team thought they would never see their rocket again, when it was orbiting the sun.
However, now it seems to be hurting the earth at a speed of 1,500mph.
A telescope in Hawaii discovered a mysterious discovered object last month. It is approximately 26 feet long – approximately the length of the bus.
Last month the size of the bus suggested going to Earth and being believed to be an asteroid, it could actually be part of the Atlas Centaur 7 upper rocket stage (pictured on the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida) that propelled NASA’s Surveyor 2 to the moon. In 1966
Initially it was thought to be an asteroid and was named ‘Asteroid 2020 SO’, but now it is believed to be a part of the Centaur rocket that propelled America’s Surveyor 2 lander to the moon 54 years ago.
After releasing its payload, the rocket floated toward the moon and orbited the sun.
Lander, meanwhile, crashed into the moon after failing to ignite one of its thrusters.
After releasing its payload, the rocket floated toward the moon and orbited the sun.
NASA asteroid expert Paul Chodas said: ‘I’m very excited about this.
‘One of my hobbies has been to find one of these and draw such a link, and I’ve been doing it for decades now.
‘I could be wrong about this. I don’t want to look overconfident.
‘But, in my view, it’s the first time that, all the pieces fit together with a real well-known launch.’
Mr. Sri Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth ject project studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said the project has a circular orbit around the sun, which is unusual for a planet.
It is also in the same plane as the Earth, which does not tilt up or down, and slows down by asteroid standards – approaching 1,500mph.
He predicts it will orbit Earth for four months from mid-November.
It will then enter its own orbit around the Sun next March.
Mr Chodas said he doubted the substance would slam on Earth, adding: “At least, not this time.”
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