Considering that there are still 35,554 days (as of 1/27/04) until 1997 XR2 impacts our earth <link>, I propose a solution:
First, a spacecraft filled with about 500 gallons of Walmart brand paint (I would suggest the Mobe Pearl at USD$9.95 per gallon) would smash into the asteroid and cover the surface with light paint. As we all know, white paint is quite reflective.
Secondly, if you have been to a movie recently, you will realize that everyone seems to have laser pointers on their keychains which are constantly beamed onto the projection screen before the movie.
Now, we get every television station over the globe to show sky maps each night with the location of the asteroid. Every person with one of those laser pointers aims at the asteroid and the combined photonic push would be enough over the span of 35,632 days to nudge 1997 XR2 into a new orbit and we would save the world from this .23 kilometer menace.-- Klaatu, Nov 10 2003 paint the moon red http://www.ananova....tory/sm_433114.html [po, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] Asteroid Might Hit Earth in 2880, Unless it is Painted http://www.space.co...lection_020404.html"The idea goes back to a scientific paper written by Russian engineer I.O. Yarkovsky a century ago...this effect, along with a little dynamite or some paint, could be employed to alter the path of any asteroid." [krelnik, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] 2004 MN4 http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/The highest ever recorded on the Torino Scale and the first to go above background level on the Palermo Scale. And it is only 14 years to impact. [Klaatu, Dec 27 2004] Paintballs may deflect an incoming asteroid http://web.mit.edu/...aintballs-1026.html [xaviergisz, Oct 29 2012] Directions:
Prepare surface by removing all loose particulates. Follow with a TSP solution, 1 part TSP to 3 parts water.
Apply with fire hose.
A syringe can be used in those stubborn nooks and crannies
DO NOT FREEZE-- Tiger Lily, Nov 10 2003 I thought this was going to propose a club for all those gamers from the eighties who want to salvage and preserve those arcade machines which played "asteroids".
Of course your sky map would need to take into account the time taken by the light from the laser pointers to reach the asteroid and the distance the asteroid would move during that time. Would there be any way of registering a 'hit' so we could compare scores? The looser would have to accompany Bruce Willis and his team to plant a nuclear bomb on the asteroid should our shiny efforts fail.-- dobtabulous, Nov 10 2003 Maybe a pair of giant, orbiting crosshair can be put up, one behind another. Aim through the centers and you're dead on. Adjust as necessary.-- phoenix, Nov 10 2003 This is not really an original idea, see link.-- krelnik, Nov 10 2003 could a giant trebuchet launch suitable missiles at it? how far away is this thing anyway?-- po, Nov 10 2003 A trebuchet giant enough to launch missiles at one asteroid would probably lurch us backwards into the path of another.-- DrCurry, Nov 10 2003 I knew there'd be a minor drawback..-- po, Nov 10 2003 Because the laser pointers would be more fun. And because such concentrated laser-pointer activity on such a distant object would drive my cat positively insane.-- lostdog, Apr 28 2004 <link> to 2004 MN4 which is due to hit on Friday, the 13th of April, 2029.-- Klaatu, Dec 27 2004 Why try to blow these things up (apart from the fact it's fun) ? Why not just park them in the Earth-Moon Lagrange points for future use?-- 8th of 7, Oct 29 2012 random, halfbakery