I'd find it funny if the US proved uncapable to hit the damn thing and Russia just throws a makeshift deflection apparatus at it that basically makes use of ang

I'd find it funny if the US proved uncapable to hit the damn thing and Russia just throws a makeshift deflection apparatus at it that basically makes use of angular momentum for the task (Soyuz™ tech!) and just keeps burning itself to death on the asteroid's surface. The result would be bipartisan gratitude to Russia, while putting Rachel Mathews out of a job for good. The potential hilarity of the future is literally endless, even without an asteroid on collision course.