Hello, Tim Harford here. Thank you for downloading more or less. This is the shorter version of the program,

first broadcast on the World Service, on Friday, the 18th of November,

and in accordance with our new regime regime there is no overlap with the longer

Radio 4 edition so I hope you enjoy both programs. Welcome to more or less on the BBC World Service with me Simon Mabin and me Charlotte McDonald.

This week we're looking at a danger to the very future of humanity.

But don't worry because it looks like that danger is diminishing.

Listener David Killum emailed us to point out some good news.

NASA has been trialing a new system that means we're getting better and better at spotting

asteroids that could be heading for Earth.

We're more or less, so we wanted to know how much safer we actually are.

And if we did spot an asteroid hurting towards Earth,

what could we do about it? Perhaps most importantly of all, could the plot of the film

Armageddon happen in real life.

Don't want to close my eyes. you don't want to fall asleep

because I miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing

If you haven't seen the 1998 Hollywood hit then we're about to ruin it for you.

An asteroid is heading towards Earth and it's a biggie.

This new one you're tracking. How big?

It's the size of Texas, Mr President.

It's what we call a global killer, the end of mankind. It's calculated that there are 18 days until the asteroid strikes and a plan is hatched

We nuke this thing from the inside.

How?

...