NASA is trying to protect us from at least one doomsday scenario, of an asteroid colliding with the planet and potentially wiping out human life.

It's revealed plans to create a spacecraft that can crash into an asteroid and deflect it off a collision course with Earth.

LISTEN ABOVE: MATHEW PAVLETICH SPOKE TO MIKE HOSKING ON MIKE HOSKING BREAKFAST.

Space commentator Mathew Pavletich said it's expected to be in space in 2022 to coincide with a close approach by the Didymos asteroid.

"It will fire what's called a compactor to change the course of the asteroid.

"So instead of hitting the Earth, with an asteroid that masses many millions of tonnes, and perhaps destroying a city or worse, it might just narrowly miss the Earth by a thousand kilometres or so," he said.