WE’VE been told to nuke ’em, tug ’em and even paint ’em. But burrowing into killer asteroids on a collision course with Earth might be the best way to deflect them.
In 2029, the asteroid Apophis will pass near Earth, and our planet’s gravity may then put it on collision course for when it comes back round in 2036. Although the chance of an impact is only 1 in 45,000, developing methods to save us from such near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) is vital, and current proposals simply aren’t up to the job, says Daniele Fargion of the University of…
