Hang on to your butts... this one's gonna be close!

Wanna know how close asteroid 99942 Apophis (2004 MN4) will come to the Earth? This trajectory path tells it all. This is how close JPL thinks Apophis will come in 2029. It is predicted to be visible by the naked eye. But this pass isn't what has them worried.

Instead, they worry about the affect Earth's gravity will have on Apophis' trajectory. Were it not for this predicted deviation in course, the next fly-by in 2036 would be of little concern. However, because of this deviation, there is now concern that in 2036 an impact might be likely. This concern has resulted in an increase to threat level 2 on the Torino scale.

Unfortunately, NASA seems to be too science minded to recognize a need for action. Someone suggested the brilliant idea of attaching a radio transmitter to Apophis in 2029 to aid tracking the object. NASA rejected this saying we have plenty of time to prepare and it is not willing to waste money on a needless launch. However, it is considering some science missions during the flyby.

Where are the priorities here!

Somehow, I don't think Apophis will really care about a temporary worker program, or a wall (or dome for that matter).