NASA to Chronicle Close Earth Flyby of Asteroid

Feb. 13, 2013

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

D.C. Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@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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