asteroid's

Indeed, Yeomans goes so far as to call the asteroid's unwelcome drive-by "an extraordinary opportunity" to learn more about the composition of asteroids.

TIME.com: Top Stories 2011

Indeed, Yeomans goes so far as to call the asteroid's unwelcome drive-by "an extraordinary opportunity" to learn more about the composition of asteroids.

TIME.com: Top Stories 2011

It will map the mineral composition and features of Vesta's surface, collect information about Vesta's gravity field and peer into a massive crater that might expose the asteroid's core.

US Spacecraft to Rendezvous with Asteroid 2011

Yeomans told HuffPost that the flyby will give astronomers a great view of 2005 YU55 and is an opportunity to do research into the asteroid's composition.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 To Narrowly Miss Earth (PHOTOS, VIDEO) 2011

They also are eager to study a mysterious dark spot that stretches 100 kilometers across the asteroid's jagged landscape.

NASA Probe Returns First Images of Asteroid Vesta 2011

Researchers already are expressing surprise at the asteroid's extremely varied surface features.

US Spacecraft to Rendezvous with Asteroid 2011

In 20 to 40 years, the technology to modify an asteroid's trajectory enough to have it impact on one's adversary will exist ... then, say if they try to deflect Apophis before 2036, and it impacts one of America's adversaries, there will be a hue and cry that this was done deliberately rather than the event having been the result of a miscalculation.

Asteroid Threat Conference Underway - NASA Watch 2009

Lance Benner, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a video from NASA available below that scientists haven't been able to reliably compute the asteroid's path beyond a couple of hundred years from now.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 To Narrowly Miss Earth (PHOTOS, VIDEO) 2011

Jones spoke at the European Space Agency's operational center in Darmstadt, Germany, where former NASA astronauts and scientists from space agencies across the globe pushed for international space agencies to band together to address the issue from within the U.N. Jones and his colleagues proposed that a group involving the world's space agencies be established to pool resources to prevent such an asteroid's impact and to better inform the public of the possible threat.

Astronauts: Asteroid Threat Calls For Teamwork AP 2010

LOOK: Animation of asteroid's path as it passes by Earth.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 To Narrowly Miss Earth (PHOTOS, VIDEO) 2011