Tracking Near-Earth Objects

Audio

01/29/2010

Jan. 29, 2010

Tracking Near-Earth Objects

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The US spends $4 million each year to search for comets or asteroids that could threaten the planet. That's not enough to get the job done, according to a new report from the National Research Council. In the newly-released report, "Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies," a panel of scientific advisers lays out options NASA could follow to detect more potentially threatening near-Earth objects, or NEOs. In 2005, Congress set out a 2020 deadline for NASA to complete a survey of nearby space and find 90 percent of near-Earth objects greater than 140-meters in diameter. That goal is in no way achievable at current spending levels, according to the report. We'll talk about some of the options considered by the panel.

Produced by Christopher Intagliata, Associate Senior Producer

Guests

Michael A'Hearn
Vice Chair, Report Committee and
Chair, Mitigation Panel

"Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies" report

Professor, Department of Astronomy

University of Maryland

College Park, Maryland
Faith Vilas
Vice Chair, Report Committee and
Chair, Survey and Detection Panel

"Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies" report

Director, MMT Observatory

Mount Hopkins, Arizona

Jan. 29, 2010