This isn’t really news for anyone paying attention, but I found this article about the potential for an asteroid hit in 2036 interesting, because it describes a new method of diversion that I hadn’t considered or heard of previously (though it’s obvious, once you think about it).

It’s called a “gravity tow,” in which you hover a large mass near the asteroid, and maneuver it, pulling it from its trajectory simply using the gravitational attraction between them. It seems like the safest, most controlled way to go, and doesn’t require physically grappling, which could make problems worse if you end up breaking it. I’m glad to see that there’s a lot more thought going into this than the traditional “nuke it” approach.