Rocks from Space Did you know that some rocks are not from Earth at all, but from way out in space? Large space rocks that orbit around the Sun are called asteroids. These asteroids are thought to be the leftovers from the formation of the inner solar system, including Earth. Smaller rocks that orbit around the Sun are called meteoroids. If an asteroid or meteoroid travels through the Earth's atmosphere and lands on Earth's surface, it is called a meteorite. Meteorites land on Earth all the time. Did you know that around 500 meteorites bigger than footballs hit Earth each year? The good thing is that most of them fall into the ocean. On the other hand, smaller ones, the size of pebbles, tend to fall on land. If you are lucky, you can sometimes see them in the night sky as 'falling stars' However, most scientists believe one large asteroid, about six to twelve kilometers across, hit the earth and killed all the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago. Now, how old will you be on Friday, July 13, 2029? That is how old you will be when a large asteroid, called Apophis, comes very, very close to our planet. Scientists discovered it in 2004, and they say it is about 300 meters across. That's about the size of a large sports stadium. An asteroid this size, according to scientists, is not large enough to destroy our world, but it is large enough to destroy several cities. It will probably miss the earth, they say, but not by very much it will miss us by about only 35,000 kilometers - that's much closer than our moon which is about 240,000 kilometers away. Another way of thinking about it is that it will miss us by only a few minutes. If you don't find that scary, then consider this: the same asteroid will visit Earth just a few years later, in 2036, again on Friday 13. Fortunately, it will miss our planet, but again by only a very small distance... probably! The only sure thing is that all the eyes and telescopes in every country in the world will be watching the skies on those two days. NASA, scientists, and engineers space rocks to help us learn about the origin of our solar system. In fact, NASA has several missions that have - or will be - investigating space rocks. These include Dawn, New Horizons, and Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous. It is also good to know that NASA's "Near Earth Object Program' searches for and **tracks** objects like asteroids that may collide with Earth. This information helps scientists and engineers plan how to protect our planet from an **impact** and keep us safe! 5 points Decide whether the following statement is true or false: "If Apophis were to hit Earth in 2029, it would destroy the world." o False True The word 'impact' is marked with 5 points ** in the selection. Match the word with the most appropriate meaning from the given options. control impression clash With reference to the selection, 5 points how are asteroids formed?* They are what remained from the formation of the inner solar system. They are formed when rocks travel through the Earth's atmosphere. They are formed when meteorites land on Earth They are the leftovers from the formation of the outer planets. Choose the best main idea that 5 points fits the above selection. * Apophis is a killer asteroid. Some rocks are not from Earth but from space. Earth will be hit by an asteroid in 2036. A large asteroid killed all the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago. With reference to the selection, 5 points what are meteoroids? * Meteoroids are falling stars. Meteoroids are large rocks that orbit around the sun. Meteoroids are rocks that travel through the Earth's atmosphere and land on the Earth's surface. Meteoroids are small rocks that orbit around the sun. The word 'tracks' is marked with 5 points ** in the selection. Match the word with the most appropriate meaning from the given options. to crash into to follow the trail of to investigate 5 points Decide whether the following statement is true or false;" Rocks travelling from space and landing on Earth are called meteorites."* False O True