Interactive: asteroid strikes

Backgrounder: 564 words
With NASA announcing an asteroid is on a possible collision course with Earth 23 years from now, 360info looks at the planet’s early warning systems.
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It was a few white lines on a black screen, but Asteroids became Atari’s most popular arcade game.

Spurred by a near miss, the world built an alert system to detect asteroids heading for Earth. But it’s not clear who would decide what to do next.

If an asteroid threat emerged, Earth would need to be ready. Scientists are continually working to give the planet the best range of defensive strategies.

It’s unlikely to happen, but if a large space object ever hit Earth, the outcome would be calamitous. Humanity needs to start preparing now.

Even with millions in funding and super high-tech equipment, the world’s space agencies need a helping hand from people at home.

Using a spacecraft to knock an asteroid off a collision course is the best planetary defence we have. But it will take complex calculations, and plenty of time.

A large asteroid or comet on track for Earth would be a global threat. It would require national and international efforts to stop it.