Quote (Nick10 @ Nov 15 2009 04:22pm)
We have a program whose job it is to observe and catalog asteroids that could have possible collision courses with earth, Near Earth Asteroid Program I think is what it's called..we would probably know about it long before it hits the Earth
Not at all. The focus on asteroids that might collide with our planet is very small. There are some enthousiasts looking for them and a few observatories, but not much more. In fact, there have been quite a few instances where the asteroids missed us by an astronomical inch, where the asteroids have only been observed long after they passed.