Well, we could draft an eclectic team of oil well workers to fly to the asteroid, drill an 800 foot hole, insert several nukes, and blow the thing up.
I'm sure the gov't has "gamed" such a scenario.
Actually, I believe that exploding a nuke (or several nukes) near it would deflect it by a couple of tenths of degrees. If it is far enough out, that would be enough to cause it to miss the earth. However, as far as I know, we have no rocket capable of delivering a nuke that far.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9605109%255E1702,00.html
Comets make rare joint appearance
By Chris Herde
May 19, 2004
STARGAZERS have been witnessing a rare cosmic event this month with two comets appearing in the sky together.
In what is believed to be the first on record in Australia, two comets – Neat and Linear – are in the inner solar system and visible to the naked eye.
Cosmos Centre manager Jane Morgan said both comets were only recently discovered and Neat was named after the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking group and Linear for the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research group.
The comets were seen in New Zealand and in Victoria and Tasmania last week while northern Australian stargazers will have their chance to see the double cosmic act over the next seven to 10 days.
"There are millions of comets out there but we don't see them very regularly in the inner solar system," Ms Morgan said from Charleville in western Queensland.
"But to actually get two at the same time is a really rare event.
"Looking through the records to date I have not found anything where there has been two in the sky together.
"So to be that close together and observable is really quite amazing."
The two comets can be seen by the naked eye in the Cancer constellation near the beehive cluster, which can be seen in the north-west, low in the sky between 7pm and 9pm (AEST).
They should be able to be seen from anywhere in Australia away from any artificial light source.
Ms Morgan warned that the two comets could be hard to locate.
Both have tails up to 2.3 million kilometres long but Neat's is hidden while Linear's is faint.
Mr Morgan said comet hunters have been inundating astro internet sites with their impressions of the twin comets.
"Everyone is just talking about these two great comets and how fabulous it is and aren't we lucky to be here on the planet when it actually happens," she said.