Canadian Space Agency
www.asc-csa.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Table of Contents
Orbital Mechanics
Student Activity: Answer Key
Asteroids - What is Their Impact?
Diameter
(metres)
(metres)
Time between
events (years)
events (years)
Density (kg/m3)
Mass (kg)
Impact velocity (km/s)
kinetic energy (joules)
TNT equivalent
1
months
7000
iron
iron
2.9 x 104
18
4.7 x 1012
1100
1.1 kT
1.1 kT
1
months
7000
iron
iron
2.9 x 104
42
head-on
head-on
2.5 x 1013
5 000
5 kT
5 kT
10
20
4000
stoney
stoney
1.7 x 107
18
2.7 x 1015
6.4 x 105
640 kT
640 kT
100
30000
4000
stoney
stoney
1.7 x 1010
18
2.7 x 1018
6.4 x 108
640 MT
640 MT
1000
106
4000
stoney
stoney
1.7 x 1013
18
2.7 x 1021
6.4 x 1011
640 GT
640 GT
5000
30 x 106
2000
icy
icy
2.5 x 1014
18
4.1 x 1022
9.6 x 1012
9 600 GT
9 600 GT
10000
100 x 106
2000
icy
icy
8.5 x 1015
18
1.3 x 1024
3.1 x 1015
4.2 x 109 joules = 1 metric tonne of TNT
