On 11/05/2015 08:15, Brian-Gaff wrote:

Myself, I'd trust the nukes, after all, better to have a load of small
radioactive rocks than one bloody great one that could destroy everything.
brian

Actually it isn't. One really big one will cause a lot of damage where
it lands - think Tunguska but will leave everywhere else untouched
(unless it is incredibly rare and in the large extinction event class).

A large number of objects which is what you end up with if you fragment
a 1km object will have the same effect as cluster bombing with kT yield
devices over a very wide area. Most meteors are little more than a grain
of sand. A few kg on entry will be a ground impactor.

Much better to deflect its path slightly so it skims off the upper
atmosphere like a pebble off the surface of a pond.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown