Scientists plan to fire a spacecraft into an asteroid in an effort to prepare for one being on a direct collision course with Earth.

In the Hollywood movie Armageddon, Bruce Willis attempts to blow up a huge asteroid hurtling towards Earth.

In real life, the trial, dubbed Don Quixote, will see two spacecraft launched.

One will attempt to push the asteroid off its course while the second will collect valuable data from the impact.

And the European Space Agency planed the trial.

A potential target for the mission is a 1,600ft-wide asteroid called 99942 Apophis, which has a remote chance – roughly one in 250,000 – of hitting earth in 2036.

据英国《每日邮报》8月18日报道，有一颗小行星正行进在一条会与地球直接相撞的轨道上，为此科学家们计划将航天器发射至这颗行星。

在好莱坞大片《世界末日》里，布鲁斯•威利斯试图炸掉一颗飞向地球的小行星。

在现实中，这项名为“堂吉诃德” 的实验将发射两架航天器。

其中一架将尝试把一个小行星推出其运行轨道，另一架将收集关于碰撞效果的有效数据。

欧洲太空总署策划了该实验。

实施该实验的一个可能目标是一颗直径1,600英尺、编号为99942的“阿波菲斯”小行星。这颗小行星具有微小的、将于2036年撞击地球的可能性——大约为二十五万分之一。