NASA needs to worry about protecting the earth from killer asteroids

The final report of the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board has been released. Titled: “Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies”.
The report discussed possible options for NASA in detecting and protecting the earth from a possible collision with a NEO, “Near Earth Object”.

One recommendation of the report was that early detection and tracking of The final report of the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board has been released. Titled: “Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies”.

The report discussed possible options for NASA in detecting and protecting the earth from a possible collision with a NEO, “Near Earth Object”.

One recommendation of the report was that early detection and tracking of asteroids and comets is the most economical defense at the present time. New ground- and space–based telescopes are required to achieve this. Congress has not yet given NASA the funding to build what they need.

Four categories of mitigation were considered:
Civil defense, which includes evacuating the region around an impending small impact.
Slow push or pull methods that would gradually change the orbit of an NEO, using a spaceship as a “tugboat”,
a “kinetic” method, using a spacecraft or other object to impact the NEO with a enough force to deflect it, and the fourth method, using a nuclear explosion to destroy the approaching NEO.
The report points out that the three offensive methods would require detection of the approaching object as soon as possible.
The conclusion of the report was that nuclear explosions may be the only current means to prevent an impact with an advance warning less than a decade. and comets is the most economical defense at the present time. New ground and space–based telescopes are required to achieve this. Congress has not yet given NASA the funding to build what they need.

Four categories of mitigation were considered:
Civil defense, which includes evacuating the region around an impending small impact.
Slow push or pull methods that would gradually change the orbit of an NEO, using a spaceship as a “tugboat”,
a “kinetic” method, using a spacecraft or other object to impact the NEO with a enough force to deflect it, and the fourth method, using a nuclear explosion to destroy the approaching NEO.

The report points out that the three offensive methods would require detection of the approaching object as soon as possible.

The conclusion of the report was that nuclear explosions may be the only current means to prevent an impact with an advance warning less than a decade.