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'Asteroid Day' is a good time to learn about the threat of space rocks
On June 30th, 1908, more than 770 square miles of remote Russian forest were obliterated from the face of the Earth when a relatively small meteor, estimated at only around 400 feet across, unleashed 15 megatons of energy above the Stony Tunguska River. One hundred and nine years later, humanity knows precious little more about the dangers that lurk within our solar system than we did in 1908. But a recently founded "global day of education" aims to bring the existential threat that space rocks pose to the forefront of our collective consciousness.
NASA eyes waypoint near moon, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers not in plans ... yet
Not content with its Foursquare badge from the International Space Station, NASA is now setting its sights closer to the moon, with plans for a deep space outpost near our celestial neighbor. NASA is looking at setting up an outpost near the recently filmed far side of the moon that could serve as a jumping point to other more exotic destinations like lunar space, asteroids and Mars. The waypoint could even serve as a place for assembling and servicing satellites and large telescopes, as well as robotics research on crashed Transformers. The leading location so far is "Earth-moon libration point 2," a more gravitationally stable area in space that serves as an ideal parking spot for space craft. Echoing recent talk by Russians about a joint moon base, NASA also hopes to get by with a little help from its friends -- well, actually a lot of help from the international community -- by using the partnerships it has formed through the International Space Station.
