Post date: Feb 04, 2013 2:15:0 PM
Next Media - A 140,000-ton, 40m asteroid that will pass by Earth on Feb. 15 could collide with satellites, according to reports. The asteroid 2012 DA14 was detected several months ago by the LaSagra Observatory in Spain.
It will pass within 17,200 miles of Earth, inside the orbits of geosynchronous, or stationary satellites, raising the possibility of a collision. NASA scientists believe the asteroid is made of rock.
A similar-sized asteroid collided with Earth around 50,000 years ago and created the 1-mile Meteor Crater in Arizona. On its next flyby in 2020, scientists say DA14 could even collide with Earth.
SOURCE: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2013/01/29/asteroid-flyby-february/1875121/
NASA
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news174.html