Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Bad Boo
What is the possibility, if an meteor of that size did "crash through" the asteriod belt, would it actually hit anything IN the belt, or are the asteriods too far apart? And if it did hit them, would they actually head towards Earth, or would they scatter? I'm thinking they would scatter about...
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The Asteroid Belt is not as dense as some might imagine. Routinely, spacecraft pass through it without coming anywhere near an asteroid accidentally. If the spacecraft is desired to pass near one, it must be carefully aimed.
Now, Texas-sized is a bit larger than your typical spacecraft, but it still might pass through without contact. The average distance between asteroids is estimated at 1-million km or 3-million miles, or 2-million km -- take your pick -- according to a quick Google search I just did. I don't want to calculate the probability of an actual encounter during a belt passing.
If hit, an asteroid might head any direction, but with only a minor bump, an asteroid would be inclined by inertia to continue in roughly the orbit it had. If it eventually wound up near Earth, it would take a very long time after it was perturbed. With a major collision, an asteroid would probably be inclined not to remain in one piece; the fragments could probably head anywhere, if they didn't just stick to the Texas-sized object.