Impact of asteroid that will approach Earth in 2029 'CANNOT be ruled out' [but pretty much no]

Using Herschel data, mission scientists have deduced that Apophis is 1,066 feet (325 meters) wide. That’s 20 percent larger than the previous estimate of 885 feet (270 meters). “The 20 percent increase in diameter, from 270 to 325 m, translates into a 75 percent increase in our estimates of the asteroid’s volume or mass,” said Thomas Müller of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, and lead scientist of the study.

[Asteroid Apophis Just Got Supersized | 02/09/2014 | SunkenCiv]

We just need to make sure no doomsday cult with a missile tries to blow it up, or deflect it so it does hit Earth.

I'll be long gone by then, but the rest of y'all best duck/cover :-)

Scary close.

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Tin foil hat and Slim Whitman time?

If one were really thought likely to hit earth, how long would it take to design and construct the necessary space technology to destroy or deflect it? Would that be possible? anyone have an opinion?

About 1/4 mile wide would be a cataclysmic impact.

Getting something (bomb or big propulsion system) up there on short notice would be feasible, now that we have SpaceX. The likelihood of zero warming though -- in the words of David Morrison, the first notice we receive is a tongue of fire on the horizon, followed by shock waves, etc -- is still highest. Detection is obviously most important. This is just one we know about.

“If the 27 billion kg asteroid were to hit Earth, scientists calculate that it would leave a crater over a mile wide and a staggering 518 metres deep.”

Okay. So how do we make sure it hits Mecca?

Could we deflect it towards San Francisco?

If the Good Lord sees fit, I’ll be 74 then, so I might get to see it...........unless it’s cloudy...............

We could do it in 6 months................

One landed in the ocean this week.

Given that it is 27 billion kg (roughly 60 billion pounds), and would create a 880 megaton blast, it is carrying a lot of energy to deflect. The best you could is fire some nuclear warheads to fracture the thing into some smaller pieces, but even that would be problematic.

“Mr. Douglas, could I interest you in some Gen-U-whine Asteroid insurance?”

Mr. Haney

Good timing.

This’ll hit just about when they implement means testing for Social Security.

The Palermo Scale is common in approach to the Torino Scale, which I believe provides a better visual approach to seeing where the NEOs plot out:

Apophis has a potential y-axis value of 880. If the average chance of an asteroid impact is 1 in 40,000 and if Apophis' probability is 1000x less than the average, this NEO has an x-axis value of 10^-8.

We're easily in the white / 0 zone. Stand down.

"... how long would it take to design and construct the necessary space technology to destroy or deflect it?"

Just the environmental impact statements would take 5-to-10 years...Then add another 10-years for constructing and testing...

On FR I stated, 13-years ago, that the government was probably lying through their teeth about the size and impact probability...They haven't changed a bit...