Originally Posted By: Pete
WHERE is Bruce Willis when you really NEED him????

Is it time to get serious about Spaceguard?

The impactor is definitely unrelated to the fly-by - they came from completely different directions. It's an amazing coincidence.

40 years ago there was real concern that something like this kind of event might start WW3.

Originally Posted By: spuds
Wonder what speed it came in at,that would be a fine missile intercept to pull it off.

It was moving *far* too fast for any missile interceptor. Nobody has anything that can survive the aerodynamic pressure of moving through the atmosphere that fast in any kind of controlled flight. Maybe Apollo 13's re-entry came closest.