Planetary Defense Coordination Office Proposed to Fight Asteroids
October 21st, 2010Maybe they’ll milk the space rocks before the little green men scenario???
Via: Space:
A new report calls on NASA to establish a Planetary Defense Coordination Office to lead national and international efforts in protecting Earth against impacts by asteroids and comets.
The final report of the Ad-Hoc Task Force on Planetary Defense of the NASA Advisory Council was delivered to the Council this month, proposing five recommendations that suggest how the space agency should organize, acquire, investigate, prepare, and lead national and international efforts in planetary defense against near-Earth objects.
“This was a very important step in the process of the United States Government defining its role in protection of life from this occasional, but devastating natural hazard,” former astronaut Russell Schweickart told SPACE.com. “Happily, in the instance of asteroid impacts, this is a natural disaster which can be prevented…only, however, if we properly prepare and work together with other nations around the world.”
Schweickart, who served as co-chair of the task force, said the new report and its recommendations to NASA combined new information with previous studies from the past decade.
The task force met in July to discuss the need for a planetary defense office at NASA. Their final report was submitted to the space agency on Oct. 6.
“With the support of the Administration and the Congress, the U.S. will be in the position of being able to work with and provide leadership in protecting life on Earth from these preventable cosmic disasters,” he said.
