What To Do About an Asteroid That Has a 1 In 625 Chance of Hitting Us In 2040?

The Bad Astronomer writes "The asteroid 2011 AG5 is 140 meters across: football-stadium-sized. Its orbit isn't nailed down well enough to say yet, but using what's currently known, there's a 1 in 625 chance it will impact the Earth in 2040. It's behind the Sun until September 2013, and more observations taken then will probably reduce the odds of impact to something close to 0. But does it make sense to wait until then to start investigating a mission to deflect it away our planet? Astronomers are debating this right now, and what they conclude may pave the way for how we deal with an asteroid threat in the future."

Comments

I will be doing one thing about it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Praying it hits. That would be so awesome!

Well obviously...

[tylersoze]

Decisions of how to deal with the massive asteroid are best left to the individual.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/republicans-vote-to-repeal-obamabacked-bill-that-w,19025/

Re:Set a reminder for 20 years from now

[kat_skan]

In 2040 Bruce Willis will be 85. What's he gonna do? Tell the asteroid to get off his lawn?

Let's settle the argument...

[Anonymous Coward]

Wherever it hits, those are the people that God hates most. End of debate.

Re:Easy answer

[Austerity Empowers]

get laid

This is about an asteroid that has a 1 in 625 change of hitting earth, not about hell freezing over.

Re:Slow it down or speed it up just slightly

[Jeremi]

I saw a recent idea that involved painting it white in order to decrease absorptivity.

The real trick is to make it look like you're having so much fun repainting it that all the other countries demand to be allowed to repaint it as well.