According to this BBC article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3517319.stm , on January 13, astronomers came within minutes of calling President Bush about an asteroid that may hit Earth. It has been a while since anything has actually hit Earth and there is always a chance that something may hit one day with the millions of stuff floating around out there in outer space. Do you think the President will actually give a statement about it if he was alerted? Or will he not tell anyone until it is too late fearing that the news will result in mass riots, looting, and chaos? If something huge does hit, life will be totally changed. People on the coasts will have no chance from the mile high tidal waves, dust thrown into the air will cover the sky resulting in the death of plants and animals from the lack of sun and heat. Maybe instead of spending billions on exploring Mars, the money would be better spent developing weapons to protect the planet in case the situation comes up? Or will they call up Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis to go save the planet?