Apophis-"The Destroyer"

Alright. So I was talking to one of my friends and we came upon a discussion on Asteroids. More specifically, their effects on Earth, should one hit in the next couple years. I wasn't sure where to post this. If there is already a post about it, please forgive me. I came across this article while doing some research on near-Earth collisions.

""NASA on a mission to repel asteroid"
By Jonathan Leake in London
December 26, 2006 12:52am
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NASA is drawing up a shortlist of ideas, to be unveiled early next year, for diverting a 40 million tonne asteroid on course to pass dangerously close to Earth.

Fears that the planet may be in danger from being struck by asteroids were heightened by the discovery of one orbiting the sun that, on its present path, will pass within 35,405km - a hair's breadth in astronomical terms - in April 2029.

NASA's plan is to engineer a minor shift in the asteroid's trajectory that would make it miss Earth by a wider margin on this and all subsequent passes.

www.news.com.au...

Now, at first I figured, "Well, this is cool. Scientists will be able to study an asteroid that will be close enough to Earth to examine", but now I am a little fearful. Supposedly, they will be trying to move the asteroid a bit away from Earth, so that it doesn't mess up satellites/gravity/etc, but what if instead of pushing it away, they bring it closer; They bring it close enough for collision? I'm sure there will be rioting, more war, etc. I suppose all we can do is hope for the best.


[edit on 26-2-2007 by CTDarkWoe]

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[edit on 27/2/2007 by Mirthful Me]

You watch too many movies. You think they would just hammer a rocket nose-first into the side and light the engine??

Given the magnitude of the task, I would think that they'd be a bit careful.

But yeah, if an asteroid does hit Earth, rioting and looting is probably going to be in order. *Rubs hands eagerly*

An asteroid will never hit Earth. Asteroids are simply the next up and coming reason the government will use to foster the weaponisation of space. First Russia, then terrorists, then asteroids, finally aliens.

-Shamash

All you'd need was something weighing one ton to disturb the asteroids path significantly enough to have it fly clearly miss the planet.

However in a way, I wish it would hit the planet, I think it'd be interesting, altough according to Popular Science pretty much half the earth would be a giant smoldering ruin.

[edit on 5-3-2007 by Charles Lee]