Indeed. What if the object was traveling at the same speed as Earth as it revolves around the Sun, and their paths intersect at a very acute angle? That is to say, they met at a traffic 'zipper' ... Could an object collide with earth at a lower speed?
No - because as they approach, Earth's gravitational field accelerates it.
Escape velocity is the velocity needed to reach an unbounded height from the surface, so reverse that timewise and any object free-falling towards Earth will have escape velocity upon reaching it.
Yes, but it is rare because most objects in such orbits tend to either be gobbled by Earth right away, settle into L2, L3, or L4, or enter a high orbit.
