LASER WEAPON ALTERS DIRECTION

HEATING Small space probes can bend an asteroid's path by means of solar-powered laser beams. The lasers are focused at a point on the asteroid, causing a cloud of hot rocks and metals to burn loose from the surface. This becomes a stream of propellant, shifting the asteroid in its course. This method, which requires the construction of huge lasers, was invented by the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow.