'WE'LL STOP ASTEROIDS'
SCIENTISTS believe they have the technology to stop an asteroid wiping out Earth in a collision.
For the first time, experts think they can deflect space rocks, such as Apophis, which has a one-in-45,000 chance of hitting the planet in 2036.
A "gravity tractor" - a spacecraft flying next to an asteroid to pull it off-course is the favourite option discussed at the Planetary Defense Conference in Washington.
Other ideas include a "solar sail", a "tugboat" spacecraft, firing a missile, exploding a nuclear bomb, and boiling the surface by deflecting the sun's rays with mirrors.Mirror, 08/03/07.