It's only 1000 ft across? Ummmm, maybe I'm missing something here but if it's coming so close, why are they going to tag it with a radio transmitter and not just blow the thing apart, thereby nullifying any risk at all?
> why are they going to tag it with a radio transmitter and not just blow the thing apart, thereby nullifying any risk at all?
Because we're not real clear even yet on how to blow apart a 1000-foot asteroid of unknown composition. And without knowing exactly what it's trajectory is, blowing into pieces might well take a 1000-foot asteroid that was going to miss Earth and turn it into several 400-foot asteroids that WILL hit Earth.