No, not from the Matrix.

A NEO is a “near-Earth object” that poses a potential danger to the Earth in the form of an asteroid, comet, or large meteor. Similar to the first root finding story that Professor James discussed, scientists and mathematicians spend countless hours protecting us from otherwise unseen dangers to prevent a last minute Hollywood rescue by Bruce Willis and crew. With today’s technology, data can be analyzed and extrapolated nearly fifty years ahead of time to determine when an object will sail by the Earth along it’s path of orbit; or, if we are highly unlucky, come crashing straight into us and send us to the same place as the dinosaurs.

The Torino Scale

Originally produced in 1995 by Professor Richard P. Binzel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Torino Scale is used to categorize the hazard associated with asteroids, meteors, and other near-Earth objects (NEOs). The textual writeup of the scale has since been revised for more general use.

The system is based on a 0-10 scale, taking variables into effect including the size of the object, proximity to Earth, and kinetic energy of the object. These factors all result in a number that can make or break the existence of human life on this planet as we know it. While nothing has ever been listed at a rating higher than a 2 since the scale’s creation, scientists and engineers alike are constantly scanning the skies for any possible threats to Earth. Currently, there is only one object in the night’s sky which has a higher ranking on the scale than 0, and that is and asteroid named 2007 VK184.

99.967% Chance of Survival

Its a little disheartening to say that there is actually a 0.033% chance that the Earth could actually be struck by a meteor in June of 2048 with sever consequences. Mathematicians are crunching the numbers continuously, trying to map the course the meteor is currently taking and extrapolate that data over the next 35 years to determine if an impact is likely. According to the Torino Scale, there is no cause for public concern and the predicted proximity of the meteor to Earth is actually fairly common. Interestingly enough, if the numbers turn up an unfavorable result, and it is determined that impact is imminent, the Torino Scale states that damage would be “unprecedented regional devastation for a land impact or threat of a major tsunami for an ocean impact.”

Seems to me like Scientific Computation in this field may be the difference between enjoying life on Earth beyond 2048 and finding ourselves in an Armageddon-like situation. Too bad Bruce Willis will be too old to save us then.

A few external links:

Nasa’s Near-Earth Object Program:

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/

Learn more about the Torino Scale:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torino_Scale

A Java applet showing the orbits of the planets with the meteor 2007 VK184:

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2007+VK184;orb=1

~ Tesseract - “A 2-D representation of a 3-D representation of a 4-D object - trippy”