Only 10 Percent Of Potential 'City Destroyer' Asteroids Have Been Identified

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held the second of a two-part series of hearings Wednesday looking at the tracking, characterization and mitigation of Near Earth Objects (NEOs).  The hearing focused on the most viable near-term initiatives within the private sector and the international coordination needed to identify and characterize potentially hazardous asteroids and meteors.

“Most troubling to me is the fact that of the up to 20,000 asteroids that could be labeled as ‘city destroyers,’ we have identified only 10 percent.  And we are unlikely to have the means to detect 90 percent until 2030," said committee chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) (pictured). “We must better recognize what the private sector can do to aid our efforts to protect the world. This won’t be an effort of one agency, one company, or one country.  And in these fiscally challenging times, we can’t afford duplication or the inefficient use of our resources. The more we discuss and understand the challenges we face, the easier it will be to facilitate possible solutions.”
 
On Friday, February 15, 2013, an unforeseen meteor exploded in the sky above Russia, releasing about twenty times the explosive energy of the atomic blast used over the city of Hiroshima. This blast injured nearly 1,200 people and resulted in an estimated $33 million in property damage. On the same day, a larger asteroid tracked closely by NASA passed safely by the Earth. Until it entered our atmosphere, the Russian meteor went completely undetected. According to NASA, the two events were unrelated, but raised public awareness of the potential threat from NEOs.
 
On March 19, 2013, the Committee held its first hearing, which examined the U.S. government’s plans and programs to identify, catalog, and coordinate the threat of NEOs. Beyond the U.S. Government, witnesses today discussed public-private partnership, commercial private sector, and philanthropic initiatives to survey the sky for asteroids and comets.

FMI: www.science.house.gov