A team of British physics students calculated the size of explosive needed to carry out the scenario in the movie Armageddon, in which an asteroid was blown apart to prevent it from hitting the Earth -- at the last minute, of course. They found it would take a 96 petaton bomb -- about two billion times more powerful than the largest nuke ever detonated. (It would take less to nudge one away from its path if it's done while it's farther away.)NewsLI.com (Long Island) has advice on how to prepare for an asteroid "attack":
BEFORE AN ASTEROID ATTACK OCCURS
* Create and [sic] emergency plan that you and the members of your household are familiar with.
* Keep an emergency kit with survival items like flashlights, batteries, a radio, food, water, dusk masks [sic] and basic medical supplies that will last at least three to five days.
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DURING AN ASTEROID ATTACK
* Find a safe level place to drop, cover, and hold on until the shaking stops.
* Avoid going outside whenever possible and for as long as possible.
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AFTER AN ASTEROID ATTACK
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* Report injuries or fires to the emergency services (dial 911).
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"While authorities would have several options when trying to deal with such a strike, this isn’t the sort of scenario most people prepare for. In fact, its [sic] much more common that people prepare for hurricanes, wildfires or even violent uprisings but few even consider asteroids. A survey conducted by the Red Cross revealed that only 12 percent of the country is adequately prepared for an emergency. This means at least 88 percent of Americans are not prepared for an asteroid hitting Earth."
