Big Asteroid 2011 AG5 Could Pose Threat to Earth in 2040

[microrobert]

Big Asteroid 2011 AG5 Could Pose Threat to Earth in 2040

Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades.

The space rock, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 460 feet (140 meters) wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it.

A UN Action Team on near-Earth objects (NEOs) noted the asteroid’s repeat approaches to Earth and the possibility — however remote — that 2011 AG5 might smack into our planet 28 years from now.

http://www.space.com/14683-big-asteroid-2011-ag5-threat-earth.html

[Teyrn]

During the latter part of the Cold War the superpowers developed contingency plans to avoid this sort of thing, probably with the Tunguska event in mind. A large body from space hitting the earth could very easily be taken for an atomic blast.

[Stefan]

I'd like to think that by 2040(actually a few years beforehand we would have to start) we would have advanced as a collective of societies in terms of economically and technologically mastering control of extra-terrestrial objects, so that we can easily diverge the orbits of such bodies, which never are surprises and have orbits that are easily predicted. If such a task proves to be easily fallible, then I blame it on the ability of the people working on it and the societies' ability to improve upon their standards in education. There is no reason we should not be able to perform such a task other than laziness or disinterest. Basically, I'm not going to worry about it.