LONDON, England (CNN) -- What should we do if an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth? This question is being taken increasingly seriously by scientists as more is learnt about the impact a near earth object (NEO) would have on the future of civilization.
It might sound like the plot of a Hollywood movie, but one gigantic asteroid is scheduled to come within 20,000 miles of Earth in the near future -- a near miss in cosmic measurements -- and the possibility remains that it could hit our planet and cause catastrophic devastation never seen before.
"Human expansion into our solar system is fundamentally about the survival of the species. Our species hasn't been around long enough to experience a cataclysmic extinction event. But they will occur again whether we are ready for them or not," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin told an audience at Langley Research Center.
The asteroid that has made the space community sit up and take notice is nicknamed Apophis, after the Egyptian god of destruction.
Over 300 meters in diameter and weighing 25 million tons, it is set to come within 20,000 miles of Earth in 2029. And that date for the near miss? April 13, 2029, which should get the doomsday soothsayers excited.
Put in on your calender.
