There is no “exact science” that can predict if a massive asteroid being tracked by NASA will or will not hit the Earth, but meteors do come through the atmosphere every day, former International Space Station Commander Leroy Chiao told Newsmax on Wednesday.

“You have to keep in mind that we’re talking about seven years in the future, Chiao said on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America” while discussing reports that the odds have climbed that a “city-killer” asteroid could hit the Earth in 2032.

“Things can influence the orbits of everything out there, so as we get closer, I would expect astronomers to refine that estimate,” said Chiao. “And even so, just consider that every day, you know, both man-made and, you know, meteors impact the Earth or come through the atmosphere. The bulk of that is small enough that it burns up in the atmosphere. But every now and then, a big chunk makes it to the surface.”

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.