An Asteroid Could Destroy the World Before Impact

NASA, Department of Defense (DOD), State Department, the European Space Agency, the newly formed International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN), and the international Space Missions Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG)—they all trade information on the asteroid deflection capabilities and methods of various nations. For months the planners at NASA and DoD and other agencies have been arguing over whether to use a nuclear warhead or kinetic impactors to deflect the asteroid. At that point in its orbit the asteroid is not visible from Earth, and again, there wasn’t time to send up an observation space vehicle to monitor the effect of the kinetic impacts.

Source: lithub.com