'You don't blow up an asteroid like the Death Star in Star Wars, you take a blowtorch to it in the form of a laser beam and you begin to evaporate it

FOR decades, scientists have been on the lookout for killer objects from outer space that could devastate the planet. But warnings that they lacked the tools to detect the most serious threats were largely ignored.

No more. The meteor that rattled Siberia on Friday, injuring hundreds of people and traumatising thousands, has suddenly brought new life to efforts to deploy adequate detection tools, in particular work on a space telescope that would scan the solar system for dangers.

A group of young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who helped build thriving companies like eBay, Google and Facebook has already put millions of dollars into the effort and saw Friday's shock wave as a turning point in raising hundreds of millions more. ''Wouldn't it be silly if we got wiped out because we weren't looking?'' said Edward Lu, a former NASA astronaut and Google executive who leads the detection effort. ''This is a wake-up call from space. We've got to pay attention to what's out there.''

Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/technology/sci-tech/we-did-warn-you-now-how-about-that-space-laser-20130217-2el6h.html#ixzz2LCHLlg6j

'You don't blow up an asteroid like the Death Star in Star Wars, you take a blowtorch to it in the form of a laser beam and you begin to evaporate it

'You don't blow up an asteroid like the Death Star in Star Wars, you take a blowtorch to it in the form of a laser beam and you begin to evaporate it

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