It might be Armageddon all over again (we're referring to the movie, of course) because the latest mission from NASA involves flying a team of astronauts on the asteroid Apophis, which was predicted to strike the Earth by 2030.

Don't expect Bruce Willis to land on this space rock and blow it to kingdom come though. The mission will have a more observational nature rather than a violent one. Scientists plan on landing several astronauts on the asteroid and take samples of it for scientists to study back on Earth.

Because asteroids were forged back in the earliest days of the solar system, they may hold a key element in unlocking some of the conditions that prevailed when Earth was formed. This study may also help us learn how best to defend against asteroids that veer into Earth's path.

A round trip mission to Apophis will roughly take three to six months and could possibly be done with less fuel than on a moon mission. There are many challenges landing on the 40 meter rock, such as the lack of gravity and how astronauts will be able to carefully navigate around the asteroid.

According to precise measurements made on the orbit of 2000SG344, many of the fears that it will hit the Earth in 2030 have been mostly allayed, although the asteroid is still expected to come very close in astronomical terms.