THANKS to Hollywood, we already know what to do if an asteroid big enough to wipe out life on Earth is spotted coming our way. Haul out our surplus nuclear weapons and get Bruce Willis on the phone.
But there's a catch. In the past year, asteroid researchers have been warning that it would be a big mistake to rely on nuclear bombs to save the planet. Nuking a killer asteroid as it approaches could be the worst thing our superhero could do, even compared with doing nothing. In February, asteroid researchers submitted a report to NASA headquarters in Washington DC calling for more research into deflection technologies that are a far cry from the "all guns blazing" approach. If they have their way, our toolbox for saving the planet will include ways of gently coaxing the killer into a safe orbit, either by slowing its irregular spin, by giving ...
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