Without Warning Page #2

as there's more Thank you!!

We switch now to the Johnson Space Center

where Matt Jensen, is standing by

Sandy!! The NASA scientists

who track these enormous Asteroids.

Sometimes refer to them, as Killer Rocks!!

As such one of the first questions

we asked, was how ??

How could an Asteroid of this magnitude

have been so close to Earth.

And not be detected till impact.

In July, the Comet Shoemaker Levy 9

struck the planet Jupiter, in a series.

Of massive impacts, equal in force to

2 million Hydrogen bombs.

These events were monitored

World wide.

Through the enormous eye of the

Hubble space telescope, orbiting the Earth.

Scientist had known for months That these

events on Jupiter were about To take place.

In fact, they actually able to predict

the precise moments of impact.

Dr Kurt Martin was one of the NASA

Scientists Tracking Shoemaker Levy.

Well, what about it Doctor, why

the surprise this time ???

Well first of all, there are at present,

some 25 hundred near earth Asteroids.

OF magnitude of one mile and above,

that could intercept with the Earth.

We've only identified about 10

per cent of them.

Until tonight.

Yes !! well you see

if an Asteroid is coming directly

towards the earth.

Its very difficult to see it

until its literally on top of us.

Doctor Martin..This is Sander Vanocur

in Washington.

Do I understand you to say

the Earth is at risk.

From more of these Asteroids.

Well I don't want to sound alarmist.

But if one of those...Rocks

came down in a big city.

Well!! ... ???

Well what Doctor.

Lets just say it would make the

Russians seem like.

Thank..You.

That was Doctor Kurt Martin

of the Johnson space center.

In a moment we'll be joined by Doctor

Jaffe, Evening World news science editor.

But first some rather startling

developments from correspondent Bree Walker

Sandy!!..We're told now that at least three

men have perished in the fire storm.

Touched off by the impact of the Meteorite

believed to be Sheep ranchers who were.

Leafing grazing land, from the nearby

Thunder Basin National grasslands.

The scene is live..And

Its like...

Lush green grazing land.

Now......Ash.....Charred.

You can see there the bodies of dead

animals scattered everywhere

Bree!!!.. You should know you should

know your signals breaking up.

Wait a bit something new.

What !!..WHAT!!

Down there to the left

I'll get a closer look.

All I know is the helicopter is over

Thunder Basin National Grasslands.

You have the picture.

My god its a human being

I've no idea how anyone could

have survived this.

If that is a human being it appears to be...

....A Child Its a Child!!!!

We're moving in...Lets just see

Bree Walker and Cameraman

Billy Dunne

I hope you will

They're moving in.

There they are..That's Bree moving in

On what appears to be a survivor.

Moving !!!....Moving towards the child.

She's moving towards the child

There she is OK!!

Cameraman William Dunne behind her.

It was definitely a child.

Ok.

It looks like it was a little girl.

It was a little Girl

I cannot tell you what she is saying.

As you can see, she appears badly burned

how she survived I'll never know.

Apparently we've lost our signal.

Its just extraordinary to think that anyone

could have survived so close to that fire zone.

It appears the child was trying to say

something, something incomprehensible.

She obviously was in shock.

We try to get back with correspondent

Walker, to learn more about that little.

Girls condition....I the meantime,

we give our affiliates.

A chance to break.

This is Sander Vanocur

in Washington.

Here once again is

Sander Vanocur.

If you're just tuning in, all of us

witnessed a remarkable rescue tonight.

After three fragments from

a giant Asteroid, fell to Earth

causing untold damage World ...wide.

An evening World News Crew, was flying over

one of the impact sites.

When they saw something moving, correspondent

Bree Walker and cameraman, William Dunne.

And Found a survivor.

A little girl, we still don't know

who she is, or what she was saying.

At this moment our Helicopter is flying her

to the mercy medical center in Casper

Wyoming, and we'll get word to you on her

condition, just as soon as we have it.

Joining me now is our

Science editor.

Doctor Carolyn Jaffe

Sandy !!....In the grip of a story like

this, It's a reporters job, to hold back.

Remain dispassionate, and yet.

When you look in the eyes of that child.

You can't help but be moved

I understand you, prepared a report,

on just how powerful.

These Meteors can be.

That's right Sandy, the philosopher

George Santayana, once said that.

"He who forgets history"...

"Is destined to repeat it"

Now the three asteroid fragments

that rained down on the earth tonight.

Ahh, , Weren't the first,

And most likely won't be the last.

The crater at Winslow Arizona, more

than Half a mile across.

An enormous hole caused by an

Iron Asteroid just 60 mt rs wide.

More than 50,000 years ago.

In 1908 an object the same size

exploded a few miles above the ground

at Tunguska river in Siberia.

The shock wave with the force of

15 Hydrogen Bombs.

Incinerated more than in acres

in an impact area.

That would have spread from Maine to The

Carolina's, if it had hit the North East.

The gulf of these were just

BB shots compared to the big one.

Known now as the KT event,

Scientists now believe and object.

In the order of 7-10 Kilometres wide,

impacted 65 million years ago.

Along the Mexican Yucatan

Peninsula.

A month after impact the debris from

the giant crater covered the Earth.

In a dust like cloud that blocked

out virtually all sunlight.

Billions of life forms were killed within

weeks, and ultimately THE DINOSAURS.

That had ruled the World for

140 million Years perished.

And Sandy!!...if an

Asteroid even one half that size

were to hit the Earth today,

the death rate could easily match.

That of of the Black Plague,

that wiped out half the population.

Of Europe during

the Middle Ages.

Well the question I've got to

put to you, is how real is the.

To the Earth today

I'm afraid its quite real.

Two years ago NASA Scientists calculated

that the odds of a person dying.

Through a near Earth Asteroid

were about 1 in 20,000.

About the same as being killed

in an airline crash.

And that's what they assumed ??

Until tonight.

You see the danger is increasing.

Why ??...ls that.

Astronomers announced at JPR, say there is a

20% likely-hood, that because of the meteor.

Shower tonight we can expect more of these

Earthbound Asteroids..

Forgive me !!....I apologize, but they're

ready now for that report from NASA.

And then we go to the johnson Space Center

where correspondent Matthew Jensen.

Is standing by...Matt !!! Sandy the men

and women who track these giant near Earth.

Objects, have been working Non stop to

analyse the data ever since the first impact.

At 7:
24 Central time....We were inside the

operation center, where we regularly.

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