To Deflect Killer Asteroids, Humanity Must Work Together

      The biggest challenge in deflecting a killer asteroid away from Earth may be humanity's inability to get along.

  We already have the technological know-how to prevent dangerous space rocks from barreling into our planet, provided we detect them in time. But this vital job would require a great deal of international cooperation, experts say, and history has shown that working together is not our species' strong suit.

"Somebody's got to make the decision to actually mount the deflection, and do it," said former astronaut Rusty                Schweickart, chairman of the B612 Foundation, a group dedicated to predicting and preventing catastrophic asteroid impacts on Earth..