[FPSPACE] Could lasers zap away dangerous asteroids?

[Alex Michael Bonnici]

Could lasers zap away dangerous asteroids? 

http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn11413-could-lasers-zap-away-dangerous-asteroids.html

(Mar 19, 2007) Space lasers that zap away rogue asteroids sound like the premise for a 1980s video game. But researchers say the technique could one day be used to detect – and deflect – asteroids found to be barrelling towards Earth. Previously, researchers have proposed several methods to save Earth from an asteroid impact. These include blowing it up with a nuclear bomb or putting a spacecraft beside it so the craft's gravity could tug the asteroid off course.