<p>Though asteroid 1999 RQ36 has a one-in-1,000 chance of hitting Earth before the year 2200, but if it happens, then the collision would cause an explosion equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs detonating at once.<br /><br />An analysis of its orbit has predicted that it is most likely to hit us on September 24, 2182 but scientists want to collect a sample of the rock to help forecast its trajectory more accurately.<br /><br />If NASA gives the plan the green light, the spacecraft would blast off in 2106 to map out and collect rock samples from the asteroid, which is 1,800 feet-wide, British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.<br /><br />The planned mission, called OSIRIS-Rex, is one of two finalists in competition for funding as part of the cash- strapped US space agency’s New Frontiers program. The other contender is a mission to land on Venus. The winner will be announced next year. <br /><br />NASA has officially classified RQ36 as a "potentially hazardous asteroid" as it passes within about 280,000 miles of Earth. Its orbit, which brings it closer to Earth, makes it easier to reach than other asteroids.<br /><br />Michael Drake, who would lead the OSIRIS-Rex team if the project was chosen, was quoted as saying, "Being one of the easiest targets to get to coincidentally means that it also can easily hit us, too."<br /><br />Clark Chapman, a planetary scientist at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said an impact from RQ36 would cause a catastrophic explosion. "It would be an enormous impact, like hundreds of the biggest nuclear bombs ever built exploding at once, creating a crater may be 10 kilometers across," he said.<br /><br />An expert panel, appointed by US President Barack Obama to assess NASA's future space programme last year, has recommended bypassing the Moon in favour of a mission to land on an unidentified asteroid.</p>
<p>Though asteroid 1999 RQ36 has a one-in-1,000 chance of hitting Earth before the year 2200, but if it happens, then the collision would cause an explosion equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs detonating at once.<br /><br />An analysis of its orbit has predicted that it is most likely to hit us on September 24, 2182 but scientists want to collect a sample of the rock to help forecast its trajectory more accurately.<br /><br />If NASA gives the plan the green light, the spacecraft would blast off in 2106 to map out and collect rock samples from the asteroid, which is 1,800 feet-wide, British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.<br /><br />The planned mission, called OSIRIS-Rex, is one of two finalists in competition for funding as part of the cash- strapped US space agency’s New Frontiers program. The other contender is a mission to land on Venus. The winner will be announced next year. <br /><br />NASA has officially classified RQ36 as a "potentially hazardous asteroid" as it passes within about 280,000 miles of Earth. Its orbit, which brings it closer to Earth, makes it easier to reach than other asteroids.<br /><br />Michael Drake, who would lead the OSIRIS-Rex team if the project was chosen, was quoted as saying, "Being one of the easiest targets to get to coincidentally means that it also can easily hit us, too."<br /><br />Clark Chapman, a planetary scientist at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said an impact from RQ36 would cause a catastrophic explosion. "It would be an enormous impact, like hundreds of the biggest nuclear bombs ever built exploding at once, creating a crater may be 10 kilometers across," he said.<br /><br />An expert panel, appointed by US President Barack Obama to assess NASA's future space programme last year, has recommended bypassing the Moon in favour of a mission to land on an unidentified asteroid.</p>