Based on a report from Space.com, NASA wants to make a "slight" detour on the way to the Moon. NASA is now analyzing plans to use the Constellation system, including the Moon-bound Orion spacecraft, to be the first to land a man on the Moon an asteroid and get him back safely.

Of course, this is all in the name of science, and the said mission might involve taking back samples of space rock back to Earth for analysis. And the physics of an asteroid precludes man actually setting foot on one; the astronauts are more likely to pilot a remotely-operated spacecraft to study the said lump of space rock.

But the name of science often gets morphed into practical applications, and here the story writers for Deep Impact and Armageddon should pat themselves on the back. In view of the threat that large near-Earth objects (NEOs) pose to Earth, NASA is also looking at such a mission as a sort of "tech demo" in the endeavor to flying a crew to an asteroid, which may probably turn out to be the first step in stopping one. Next step: call up Bruce Willis and whistle up a couple of nukes.