Russia may not have Bruce Willis or Sean Connery, but the nation’s Federal Space Agency says it could rise to the occasion should an asteroid threaten to impact Earth.
 
According to wire reports from the Interfax News Agency, ITAR-TASS and AFP, a high ranking Federal Space Agency official told reporters that Russia would step up to save the planet, but that the effort had to be an international endeavor.

“If necessary, Russia’s rocket-manufacturing complex can create the means in space to repulse asteroids threatening Earth,” Viktor Remishevksy, deputy head of the Federal Space Agency, told AFP, which cited the wire service ITAR-TASS.

Remishevsky told Interfax that defending the Earth from the asteroid menace does not rank high on the Federal Space Agency’s agenda, but could jump up a few notches if need be.

“But if a method of dealing with asteroid with space means is devised, we will create such means,” he told Interfax. “In any case, the rocket industry’s potential is adequate to the task.”

So we can all breathe a little bit easier, I think. Because in all honesty, I don’t think Bruce Willis (remember Armageddon?) or Sean Connery (how about Meteor) will be on the short list of who to call if and when that space rock comes calling.

Now if only we can get someone who can jumpstart the Earth’s core…