http://news.yahoo.com/asteroid-threat-earth-sparks-global-neoshield-project-155016535.html

I guess some recent asteroid near-misses have scared the EU into coming up with an asteroid deflection grid or some sort. The neat thing, IMO, is that they are going to build a gravity tractor beam to steer asteroids off course. First ion engines and now this. Where's my USS Enterprise people?

Unfortunately, what they're talking about is using the gravity well of a small spacecraft to tug dangerous asteroids off course - hence a 'gravity tractor'.

Apologies if you did read that far and were just foolin'!

Wouldn't the effect of such a craft be excessively small?

I would expect a large sticky-foam warhead and ion engine to be far more cost effective and reliable. Spread a nice layer of adhesive over the bulk of the target so it holds together and the engine doesn't just sink in uncontrollably, apply light thrust.

I think that would be a whole lot easier to sell to the public. (Who would otherwise be expecting governments to nuke it to hell, because the only thing better than space debris raining down on you and destroying your planet is if it is Radioactive Space Debris!)

I would expect a large sticky-foam warhead and ion engine to be far more cost effective and reliable. Spread a nice layer of adhesive over the bulk of the target so it holds together and the engine doesn't just sink in uncontrollably, apply light thrust.

That gave me a visual of a spaceman sitting next to an IKEA box, reading instructions and scratching his head (read: helmet) while figuring out how to insert ion engine A into crater B.

DS9? I could go along with it.
TNG, TOS, VOY, ENT in general not.

But that's just my preference.