WI Earth was hit by an asteroid

Inspired by a paradocumentary 'Dangerous Earth' (or at least this is what the Polish title was; the film was originally American - about various catastrophes which happened and which might happen.

Today, the last episode aired, and they asked, what if an asteroid comparable to the one which killed dinosaurs off fell today (or let's make it, the first decade of 21st century). However, they didn't say much apart from:

1) humans would be prepared and enter underground shelters
2) there would be Earth-wide earthquakes [probable magnitude 13], later fires for the first months and then a year-long night
3) afterwards, rats and bugs would be most likely to survive

That was about all they said. And what do you think would happen?

Addendum by me: According to NASA, there are 4,700 potentially dangerous asteroids around Earth.

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Admins: I couldn't figure out if it should go to ASB or Future or here. If it's the wrong place, please move the thread
 
The US and Soviet Union/Russia blast it into smaller, albeit still dangerous, chunks.

That assumes we have fair warning, personally I think we need to update/spend more on our detection systems for such an event.

I also think we need to make at least 2-3 multi gigaton nukes (modern tech is making that possible) to be placed in space, perhaps orbiting the Earth, that can be fired at a moments notice in case of a massive space rock headed toward Earth.
 
What size are we talking here? Because the impact (in both senses of the word) of a asteroid the size of a small apartment will be radically different from the impact (again, both senses of the word) of one the size of Arkansas.

On blasting the asteroid: actually destroying the object is unnecessary. The detonation of a small nuke (ie: NOT one that will blow it apart) would cause a minute change in the asteroids trajectory. When it comes to stellar distances, minute changes in a trajectory can mean a HUGE change in its orbital path. A one KPH change could mean the difference between a direct hit and missing by almost a million kilometers.
 
What size are we talking here? Because the impact (in both senses of the word) of a asteroid the size of a small apartment will be radically different from the impact (again, both senses of the word) of one the size of Arkansas.

That is the big question isn't it.

If its an astroid the size that created the moon we are boned, if it's an astroid the size that killed the dinosaurs we may be able to limit the damage with nukes to something just kills tens of millions instead of billions. If smaller obviously it depends on what the core of the thing is made of. Rock and ice would be nothing compared to some kind of iron or other metal core.
 
Mass extinction with a very good chance that H sapiens is among those who become extinct
Nah, we're the ultimate pest, with but a little warning we could easily keep the species alive. Something vaguely resembling a modern civilization would require a wee little bit more work though. (say, an all out 10-year effort on a total-war like footing)
 
That assumes we have fair warning, personally I think we need to update/spend more on our detection systems for such an event.

I also think we need to make at least 2-3 multi gigaton nukes (modern tech is making that possible) to be placed in space, perhaps orbiting the Earth, that can be fired at a moments notice in case of a massive space rock headed toward Earth.

Besides an ASB event we should have enough time but a few hundred Tsar Bombs in orbit at least, especially with international cooperation. An explosion in the Gigaton range would most likely vaporise the thing and the ISS and most Satellites with it, we don't need to do that, just break it up.
 
Would there be international co-operation though?
These days....perhaps. I'd think we could get a good international team together to divert the thing.

But how about in the cold war? Hell no. There'd be all sorts of war room talks about the Americans/Russians inevitably going to take advantage of the impending asteroid to dominate the post-impact world order.
...now that could be something interesting to build on....
 
Would there be international co-operation though?
These days....perhaps. I'd think we could get a good international team together to divert the thing.

But how about in the cold war? Hell no. There'd be all sorts of war room talks about the Americans/Russians inevitably going to take advantage of the impending asteroid to dominate the post-impact world order.

Nothing brings people together like a good enemy, I'm sure optimists and pessimists can both agree on that?
 
Clarification: I assume the asteroid hits post Cold War. As for the size, I have no idea. Maybe the size of the asteroid which impacted in Tunguska in 1908?
 
you can change the course of earth-crossing asteroids just by painting one side white - or "changing its reflectivity level"

http://www.unisci.com/stories/20022/0408022.htm

probably the most boring remake of "Armageddon" you could imagine

the point is to detect it early - anything less than 18 months, nearly every living thing on Earth is screwed, depending on the size of the impact event
 
with an asteroid that big? end of the world. depending on where it hits some people might be able to survive if they are well-prepared (there was actually a documentary called "Last Days of the Dinosaurs" or something similar which detailed what the end of the world by dinosaurs standards would be like, basically that dinosaurs further away from the impact site would be affected days later by subsequent effects of the asteroid, such as tidal waves)

personally, i've speculated on what a smaller asteroid impact could do, and could potentially lead to a new ice age if it affected the weather. it was part of the earliest version of my ASB ATL which detailed that ice age-induced stress was a factor in the outbreak of a 21st world war
 
you can change the course of earth-crossing asteroids just by painting one side white - or "changing its reflectivity level"

http://www.unisci.com/stories/20022/0408022.htm

probably the most boring remake of "Armageddon" you could imagine

the point is to detect it early - anything less than 18 months, nearly every living thing on Earth is screwed, depending on the size of the impact event

You could make it into a sitcom. A pair of cockney decorators go into space with a few rollers and cans of paint to save the earth....
 
rusty Transit van pulls up outside NASA

Aw'wight squire, we'll do it fer 2 million quid, cashin'and knoworramean ;), bosh bosh, zshum zshum laaavely, wheres' the bleedin' kettle on this space shuttle
 
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