The real-life version with a satellite fired at a test asteroid. The target in question is a 1600-foot-wide asteroid called 99942 Apophis, which has a one-in-250,000 chance of hitting Earth in 2036.

The mission is being called Don Quijote, and it will involve two spacecraft. A 500kg impact craft called Hidalgo will collide with the asteroid at six miles per second (21,600 mph). Meanwhile, an orbiter called Sancho will scan the collision and monitor whether the asteroid changes direction at all.

Sure, it's not as impressive as the silver-screen version with nuclear warheads, Aerosmith, or slow-motion cinematography. But this is a good chance for scientists to experiment with a what-if scenario. Let's just hope they don't accidentally redirect it our way.

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