Scientists design spacecraft to save Earth

[Wompasdub Profile]

Original article can be seen here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/spac ... Earth.html

This is an example of poor journalism particularly this little excerpt:

Details of the planned craft come just weeks after an asteroid or comet was found to have ploughed into Jupiter, which is a giant gas planet, leaving behind a vast impact scar – estimated to be about the same size as the Earth – in its atmosphere.

Scientists believe it is only a matter of time before an asteroid comes close enough to the Earth to be a threat.

I believe they're talking about shoemaker levy? However they make this seem as though it was a recent event - I was uber young when this happened I think in 1st grade around 1991. I think they should have placed a date along with it and stated the name of the event rather than sensationalizing this. Furthermore they offer no details regarding exactly how this gravitational field would be exerted.. Shit article, what do you guys think.

edit: I did find some sort of explanation after some close reading: The spacecraft would use four highly efficient low energy thrusters – known as ion thrusters which are often used on deep space probes – to gradually shift its position as it flies above the rock, causing the gravitational pull it has on the asteroid to "tug" it off the collision course.