“Are We Doing Enough to Protect the Earth from Asteroid and Comet Impacts?”
Even though efforts are underway, much still need to be done to protect the earth from asteroid and comet impacts. The study of the impacts of asteroids and comets only began in 1980, and since then, only the U.S. government has funded the studies. Other governments have only expressed their concerns about the hazards of the asteroids and comets (especially those close to the earth, often referred to as Near Earth Objects or NEOs), but none has funded the surveys or the research.
Currently, astronomers are surveying the skies regularly to see if there are some large objects that can strike the earth and cause some damage. The efforts are concentrated only on the objects that are close to the earth, and are large enough to cause the damage. Even though the earth is currently not at threat of any object, it is difficult to predict when it may be hit by these objects. A slight change in the orbit of a NEO can occur at any time, subjecting the earth to some danger. Also, it can’t be ruled out that objects with diameter less than 1 km cannot cause some damage to the earth. These objects need to be monitored too. However, current efforts by the NASA’s Spaceguard Survey don’t focus much on these “small” objects.
While NASA is doing remarkably well in proposing the best ways to protect the earth (such as destroying or deflecting NEOs before they hit the earth), no definite plan has been developed. Besides, the fragments of the destroyed NEO may still hit the earth and cause some damage.
It is worth appreciating the efforts of the U.S. government and the private Spaceguard Foundation in Europe that promotes NEO surveys. However, protecting the earth should be a global initiative and other governments and organizations should act as well.
Works Cited
Morrison, David. Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazard, 2004. Web. October 19, 2012. http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/intro_faq.cfm
NASA. Spaceguard Survey. Web. October 19, 2012. http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/downloads/spacesurvey.pdf
