Earthbound Asteroids: Scientists plan to fire a spacecraft to stop them

I thought they were going to send a crew of oil drillers?

Bruice Willis is gonna be pissed.

 

When will the asteroid hit us, if it did?

Also, I'll die laughing if the second spacecraft knocks it back on course.

 

Well, at least they are doing something. And omg what Apophis? They'll be testing on that thing? Dang


Why can't we just send a giant robot to stop any steroid that is headed towards Earth?

 

We really don't have anything to worry about. If an object was on a course for Earth, we would know years in advance.

And also the Armageddon movie makes no sense, how could they miss an asteroid the size of Texas? That's just crazy huge, the debris left would be more than enough to destroy Earth.

 

Because Bruice Willis willed it not to destroy earth.

We've got plenty of time to deal with an Astroid that will take 25 years to hit us, such as sending a a horde of Spaceships to the astroid while it's still many years off from hitting us. Then when they arrive they can SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER! nudge it out of our general direction. Or something that doesn't end with us being in Deep Impact.

 

So we basically have nothing to worry about as it's incredibly unlikely anything will hurtle toward Earth without us knowing. To be honest, it'll probably be better to throw them off course then destroy them due to them splitting up into smaller asteroids and potentially hurtling toward earth.

 

I'm sure we'll be fine. If not, well we can always ask Bruce Willis to make his movie a reality.

 

Because the movie took place before now. Back then they weren't as smart as they are now.

 

I agree that destroying it would be a bad idea considering debris and all, but I don't see why it would be necessary to knock it off course now (with the 1 in 250,000 chance of hitting Earth). If it does appear as though it will hit Earth in a few years, then it could be knocked off course. But for now it looks safe as is, imo.

 

Anyone with working eyes would have been able to see that asteroid coming.

I'm starting to think that this asteroid is just an excuse to blow something up.

 

NASA uses the 1998 film, Armageddon, in their management training program. It turns out, to absolutely no one’s surprise, that this is not because it’s an incredibly well thought out movie in how to stop an asteroid from hitting the earth… No, they use it because it contains over 168 distinct things that are impossible (not just improbable, but impossible. there are many many more if you want to talk about improbable). Because of this, it makes for a great exercise in seeing how many of those things their staff can recognize, both the impossible things and the improbable.
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/movies/armpitageddon.html

 

Nice tidbit, and awesome link. I find it sad that I know a few people my age (19) and older that didn't even question this movie's science. Try watching 2001: A Space Odyssey and Armageddon on the same day. Although I usually have no problem with impossible science or fantasy in movies/media, Armageddon's is just too distracting. I found this movie perfectly enjoyable when it first came out though.