These asteriod threat's aren't being taken seriously enough. Like the saying goes it's better to be safe than sorry. We waste money on war, which is always preventable but things like this are more dangerous than they seem.

Originally posted by onlyinmydreams
"A diagram shows the encounter between Earth and the asteroid known as 2004 MN4 on April 13, 2029...

I have to wonder, though... if this thing really was going to hit, wouldn't they come out and tell the public that it wasn't inorder to head off a panic?

Why they wouldn't tell it?
Biggest problem in deflecting them is that it hasn't been studied enough and its funding is pretty much near zero.
In this case there would be plenty of time to study countermeasures and telling data to public would make sure that politicians would have to use people's tax-moneys to that instead of wars to keep big corporations/military industry happy.

Remember how fast moonflight program proceeded while it had funding and support of people.

right on E_T.


Also we have to to into account the ones that are inbound but haven't yet detected. It is a very scary scenario, that one could be inbound that is moving so fast that even best efforts would have very little if any bearing on impact.

It is a reality and lets hope we don't learn the hard way.

I was actually watching a show about metors impacting the earth and i remember one scientist saying that if there was going to be a collision that they wouldnt tell anyone to stop any mass panics by the public and a complete break down of order and all that.

If you think about it if you do tell the public that they are going to die in a few years what do you think they would do.. keep workin and live a normal life or say screw that and just get a bunch of credit cards and live life to the fullest..

I know what i would do

This asteroid is suppose to make its close approach on my 46th birthday, definatly a little something to keep me motivated to make it till then.

Thats true that they would not tell us about an incoming asteroid until the last minute, day, or hopefully week. If we do have one set to hit us in my lifetime I sure hope I know before the masses do.