After some additional trajectory analysis, there is now a 1 to 25 chance of the 2007 WD5 meteorite hitting Mars on January 30th. If it hits, it will be a 30 megaton impact in a region north of where Opportunity stands. The last time we had an occurrence like this one was when Comet Shoemaker-Levy hit Jupiter in 1994. Many different telescopes were watching the impact then. But this time, it will be the first time in History that one of our robot sees an impact from the point of the view of the planet being hit. wow. Much can be learned about Mars atmosphere and even geology from such an event that it is mind boggling.
On a different note, this news is really possible because of one man: Gene Shoemaker. Gene is one of the discoverer of the Shoemaker-Levy comet that got people to realize the devastation Earth could sustain if it were to be hit by a similar object. His discovery led to the creation of the Near-Earth Object division at NASA. Gene actually trained to be the first scientist on the Moon and lobbied hard within NASA so that an Apollo astronaut would have the right qualification to pick up the right rocks. He was disqualified for health reasons but his lobbying paid off and Harrison Schmitt (a geologist) got to take that slot on Apollo 17. Gene died in a car accident in 1994. On the one hand, you don't get to walk on the Moon, on the other hand, your legacy extends far beyond the human exploration of space: It makes Space relevant to our history and maybe even our survival. This was not a bad deal after all.
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