But when scientists say that seemingly unbelievable disasters have a good chance of occurring, government safety officials sit up and take notice. It may sound like a science fiction movie , but in January 2000, the British government appointed a commission to assess the chances that an asteroid could destroy or damage the Earth . Some British experts claim the chances of being killed by an asteroid are 750 times greater than winning the British lottery. The British government appointed a commission to assess the chances that an asteroid could destroy or damage the Earth . Last year, an object passed between the Earth and the Moon, which would have likely caused enormous damage if it had hit Earth.
Asteroids can be devastating.
It is believe that an immense meteorite crashed to Earth 65 million years ago, wiping out the dinosaurs. National Geographic magazine reported that in 1992, a piece of rock the size of a football tumbled from the sky to crush a car in New York City. In 1908, nearly 800 miles of Siberian forest burst into flame when a meteor landed in the area. On average, a large object hits every 10,000 years, while something with the force of 10 atom bombs crashes every 100,000 years. However, you do not need to put on your crash helmet just yet.