A blinding streak of light screaming across the Russian sky, followed by a shuddering blast strong enough to damage buildings and send more than 1000 people to the hospital. On the morning of February 15th, a 7000 ton asteroid crashed into the Earth's atmosphere, exploded and fell to earth across a wide swath near the Ural mountains. According to NASA, the Siberian Meteor, which exploded with the power of 30 Hiroshima bombs, was the largest object to burst in the atmosphere since a 1908 event near Siberia's Tunguska river. That time there were few eyewitnesses and no record of the event except for thousands of acres of flattened trees. This time however the event was captured by countless digital dashboard cameras, which have lately become a common fixture in Russian autos and trucks. Within days, armed with this unprecedented crowd-sourced material, NOVA crews hit the ground in Russia along with impact scientists as they hunt for debris from the explosion and clues to the meteor's origin and makeup. To understand how lucky we were this time, we explore even greater explosions in the past, from Tunguska to the asteroid that extinguished the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. "Russian Meteor Strike" puts it all together and asks: Is our solar system a deadly celestial shooting gallery - with Earth in the cross-hairs? What are the chances that another, even more massive asteroid is heading straight for us? Are we just years, months or days away from a total global reboot of civilization, or worse?
Oklahoma's Deadliest Tornadoes
Manhunt—Boston Bombers
Meteor Strike
Australia's First 4 Billion Years: Strange Creatures
Australia's First 4 Billion Years: Monsters
Australia: Life Explodes
Australia's First 4 Billion Years: Awakening
Mind of a Rampage Killer
Ancient Computer
Earth from Space
Building Pharaoh's Chariot
Who Killed Lindbergh's Baby?
Rise of the Drones
Decoding Neanderthals
Doomsday Volcanoes
Inside the Megastorm
Ultimate Mars Challenge
Mystery of Easter Island
Secrets of the Viking Sword
Forensics on Trial
Why Ships Sink
Deadliest Tornadoes
Cracking Your Genetic Code
Separating Twins
Secrets of the Sun
Hunting the Elements
Ice Age Death Trap
Mystery of a Masterpiece
3D Spies of WWII
Bombing Hitler's Dams
Deadliest Volcanoes
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Universe or Multiverse?
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap
The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time
The Fabric of the Cosmos: What Is Space?
Iceman Murder Mystery
Finding Life Beyond Earth
Engineering Ground Zero
Japan's Killer Quake
Power Surge
Venom: Nature's Killer
Crash of Flight 447
Smartest Machine on Earth
Making Stuff: Smarter
Making Stuff: Cleaner
Making Stuff: Smaller
Making Stuff: Stronger
Deadliest Earthquakes
Secrets Beneath the Ice
Quest for Solomon's Mines
Secrets of Stonehenge
Trapped in an Elevator
Emergency Mine Rescue
Building the Great Cathedrals
Hunting the Edge of Space: Part 2
Hunting the Edge of Space: Part 1
Mind Over Money
Extreme Cave Diving
Riddles of the Sphinx
What Darwin Never Knew
Lizard Kings
Becoming Human Part 3
Becoming Human Part 2
Becoming Human Part 1
Doctors' Diaries
Darwin's Darkest Hour
Extreme Ice
Rat Attack
The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies
Space Shuttle Disaster
Ape Genius
A Walk to Beautiful
Missing in MiG Alley
The Great Inca Rebellion
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Sorry, this episode has no rebroadcasts scheduled at this time.Wednesday, June 19, at 9 p.m. on VPT
Thursday, June 20, at 2 a.m. on VPT
Thursday, June 20, at 7 p.m. on World
Friday, June 21, at 12 a.m. on World
Friday, June 21, at 5 a.m. on VPT
Friday, June 21, at 8 a.m. on World
Friday, June 21, at 2 p.m. on World
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