Asteroid will buzz Earth, miss by 17,150 miles

If a killer asteroid was, indeed, incoming, a spacecraft could be launched to nudge the asteroid out of Earth’s way, changing its speed and the point of intersection. A second spacecraft would make a slight alteration in the path of the asteroid and ensure it never intersects with the planet again, Schweickart said.

Of course, this is all in theory.

Forget an asteroid blowup like the one depicted in the 1998 film “Armageddon.” The last thing Earth needs is asteroid fragments raining down.

“Thanks, Hollywood,” Schweickart said with a laugh.

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Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/asteroidflyby.html

B612 Foundation: http://b612foundation.org/

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