LECTURE ADDRESSES THE MOST UNDERAPPRECIATED THREAT OF THE AGE

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Our Earth moves through space among a swarm of asteroids, many of which hit the Earth. Although people think of asteroid impacts as rare events, the likelihood of being killed by an impacting asteroid is about the same as being killed in an air crash. It is more likely that a person will be killed by asteroid impact than by tornadoes, fireworks or botulism.

These topics, and the threat to human life they represent, will all be explored in this fall's Barringer Lecture organized by the Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences. The lecture "Asteroids: Friends or Foes" will be given by Professor Richard Binzel, world authority on near-Earth asteroids at 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 30, in the Poultry Science Auditorium on the University of Arkansas campus.

The figures are:

Botulism: 1 in 2,000,000

Fireworks: 1 in 500,000

Tornadoes: 1 in 50,000

Asteroid impact: 1 in 20,000

Air crashes: 1 in 20,000

Shooting: 1 in 200

Auto accident: 1 in 100

These asteroids also contain a wealth of information about how the solar system formed and evolved, what interstellar dust grains are like, and perhaps even how life originated. In addition, they are a possible source of water for astronauts exploring the solar system.

This is a free public lecture that is open to all members of the university and local community. Junior and senior high school students are particularly encouraged to attend.