Russia may send spacecraft to knock away asteroid
Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_russia_asteroid_encounter

MOSCOW – Russia is considering sending a spacecraft to a large asteroid to knock it off its path and prevent its collision with Earth — a collision NASA considers highly unlikely — the head of the country's space agency said Wednesday.

Anatoly Perminov said the space agency will hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis, telling Golos Rossii radio that it would invite NASA, the European Space Agency, the Chinese space agency and others to join the project once it is finalized.

When the 270-meter (885-foot) asteroid was first discovered in 2004, astronomers estimated the chances of it smashing into Earth in its first flyby in 2029 were as high as 1-in-37, but have since lowered their estimate.

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I personally think we should do it, if not for the present danger, then as a practice for a real danger.  We all know that Theory can only get you so far, to really know something you have to try it.  There are always unexpected consequences from any new procedure, how will we be successful in our attempts when it really matters if the procedures we use are untried.  This is a great opportunity for experimentation with plenty of time to deal with any catastrophic unforeseen consequences.  Because, there are two things we know for sure, Earth will be hit by another asteroid eventually, and we have no certain idea how to deal with it.

Yes it will cost a lot of money, but so does the development of pharmaceuticals, new products and procedures, and any defense spending.  What more noble expenditure for defense, than in the defense of the entire planet.  We need the data and the practice, so what is the problem?  I am totally on board for a mission to perfect our response to an Extinction-Level-Event(ELE).  This is just one more step on Man's eventual path to space.