Scientists are saying that the asteroid 2012 DA14 (about 60 meters wide) will pass closer to Earth than some of our satellites in February 2013, and there is a chance of it hitting us.

http://www.cosmostv.org/2012/03/russia-ast...4-en-route.html
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/320607

Painting it and altering the spin? First time heard of something like that. Wonder when they will be able to predict the landing site. Will be interesting.

This post has been edited by The Analyst: Mar 4 2012, 11:40 PM

Chances of a direct hit is very slim.

As long as it doesn't hit any major cities then its fine and even then it will probably be missiled as soon as it is within range.

BTW shouldn't this be in Phd.

This post has been edited by BillySteel: Mar 4 2012, 11:45 PM

Pray tell, what is the motive of this topic?

If it is a doomsday comet like what those doomsday activists think, I want to wait and laugh again..... They predict it gonna be doomsday every other tuesday, so what?

it says will miss earth right?

They watch too many movies..... From the title name to armageddon, to 2102... What a big joke!

1. The title is catchy.

2. This is an interesting event, because it will be the closest yet. And as it has been mentioned, no spaceship mission is possible, unlike the movies, because we have no time to build the spaceship.

3. It will most probably not hit, and even if it does, chances are very big that it will break up in our atmosphere.

4. The Tunguska event is its predecessor, so we cannot say it has never happened before.

5. This event is real and is related to the world, hence real world issue - compared to half the stuff that comes in here...

There's more. Deep Impact, Armageddon, The Day The Earth Stood Still, 2012, Terminator,etc

Another article about that particular asteroid. There's a big difference between hit and miss. A difference of about 27,000km.

No, asteroid 2012 DA14 will not hit us next year

If you ask me, it's a bit too small to cause the end of the world, and slightly too late for 2012.

But what can be done to ensure that the asteroid *DO* hit?

Or if there's not enough time for that, to nudge it a little so that it do hit in 2056.

Let's say impact is imminent and we need to do something about it...

It might not be a problem to send a nuke(or two) to the asteroid with conventional rocket - the type that powered Soyuz will do, or any satellite rocket should be able to deliver a sufficient punch too.

But we can't just shoot blind like that, sending a nuke onto the surface and kaboooom might cause unforeseeable results, it might send the thing right to the earth, it might have no effect, etc.

Some kind of mechanism must be implemented to scan the geographical structure of the asteroid - what is the composition, how hard/brittle is it, does it have any underground cave... etc. Which might be achieved with an optical satellite (the type that take google earth pic, i suppose). Those kind of things might take sometime to build.

And then, if we are to do something, we have to do it early, when the rock is still far far away, and still have time to change course. So we might have less than one year, or less than 6 months!

So in this 6 months somebody(like a mad scientist, a poor environmental reporter, or a rig worker) are able to put up:
- two nuke mounted rocket(one as spare)
- a sensor satellite which is able to determine the best point of impact real time, and send targeting info to the nukes
- another rocket to deliver the satellite
then we are saved.

-== or ==-

go back and sleep early, we gotta die anyway sooner or later no matter what we did.

Lol to doomsday theory.

On average every year we probably have god know how much asteroids heading our way.

We have been lucky so far chances are by the time we are unlucky the technology catches up.

Anyway there are still many factors to consider before an asteroid actually hits us and as for 2012 theory well we shall c in another 9 months which I feel is probably another faker.

*you can go start building bunkers now*

nuking will NOT be what we want to do ... Debris galore.... ...

Correction...
For those who are who want more death from asteroid news:
Asteroid 2011 AG5: a football-stadium-sized rock to watch carefully

Chances of hitting on us is nil. I prayed

An asteroid about 45 or 90 meters across will give the earth a pretty close shave next year, passing earth by a distance of about 26,900 km but it will miss us.

Are we talking about the same asteroid here? It is hard to tell since you didn't mention the asteroid's name.

2012 DA14,all the correct info from your link.

there will be no doomsday this year. why? because deal with it. the earth's crust not an easy lady to kill

earth wont be doom....earth will still be here even theres another huge meteor or mega tsunami ...only the livings ...