I’m not sure if the astronomy experts have seen the movie Armaggedon, but I thought we already tackled the asteroid issue? Just send Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and Owen Wilson (before he was popular) into space with a nuke and oil drill… VOILA problem solved. Well, apparently that plan doesn’t translate well into the real world. Still, I’d definitely like Peter Stormare to say ‘You Americans are nothing but a bunch of ceowboys’ while really saving the world from an asteroid.

According to a BBC article, the (ASE) Association of Space Explorers is calling for a worldwide effort in devising an emergency asteroid plan. They have sent a report to the UN, with their recent findings. The report has been deemed serious enough that the UN will be discussing the matter in February.

The main reason for the coordination of efforts, is the recent report that an asteroid is on a course to pass near Earth. The asteroid has been code named, ‘Apophis’ so you know it has to be serious. Most asteroids burn up before entering Earth’s atmosphere. Unfortunately Apophis is large enough to cause a very significant amount of damage. In the Tunguska asteroid in 1908, the impact was large enough to create a 2,000 sq km fire, which is roughly the size of New York City. If Apophis were to hit Earth, it would create an impact 100x greater than the Tunguska incident. The chances right now of Apophis hitting Earth are 1 in 45,000. So the odds are in our favor right now, but there’s enough of a chance to cause some alarm.

There have been a few ideas that have been brought up to keep asteroids away from our planet. One is quite similar to the movie Armaggedon. The plan would call for a space craft to crash into the asteroid, or detonate a nuclear armed device on its surface to make it change its course. Another idea is to use a probe to allow gravitational forces to pull the asteroid away from its course. This idea has potential of working if set into motion soon enough.

The scientific means of asteroid prevention is somewhat in place. What really needs to be decided on now by the UN, is political action. Who’s going to be the main party in asteroid prevention? Where’s the funding going to come from? Are Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and Owen Wilson going to be available when the time arises?

These are just some of the important questions that the UN will be facing come February.

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