nasa-will-tackle-asteroids-with-new-planetary-defense-office

NASA will tackle asteroids with new Planetary Defense Office

Published January 11, 2016
[173]FoxNews.com
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This single frame Rosetta navigation camera image of Comet
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken on 7 July 2015 from a distance of
96 miles from the comet centre. (ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM)

This single frame Rosetta navigation camera image of Comet
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken on 7 July 2015 from a distance of
96 miles from the comet centre. (ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM)
(ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM)

We can all sleep more soundly tonight - NASA has opened a new office to
track asteroids and comets that come too close to Earth.

The Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) formalizes the
agency’s existing program for detecting and tracking near-Earth Objects
(NEOs). The office is located within NASA’s Planetary Science Division,
which is in the agency's Science Mission Directorate in
Washington.

Related: [179]NASA nixes asteroid threat rumor

“The office will be responsible for supervision of all NASA-funded
projects to find and characterize asteroids and comets that pass near
Earth's orbit around the sun,” said NASA, in a [180]statement. “It will
also take a leading role in coordinating interagency and
intergovernmental efforts in response to any potential impact threats.”

The space agency explained that more than 13,500 near-Earth objects
have been discovered to date â€" more than 95 percent of them since
NASA-funded surveys began in 1998. About 1,500 NEOs are now detected
each year, according to NASA.

Related: [181]Worldwide telescope network will take best-ever images of
Black Holes

"Asteroid detection, tracking and defense of our planet is something
that NASA, its interagency partners, and the global community take very
seriously," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's
Science Mission Directorate, in the statement. "While there are no
known impact threats at this time, the 2013 Chelyabinsk super-fireball
and the recent 'Halloween Asteroid' close approach remind us of why we
need to remain vigilant and keep our eyes to the sky."

NASA has been working on planetary defense for some time â€" its
Near-Earth Object Observations Program already works with astronomers
and scientists around the world to look for asteroids that could harm
Earth. The office will build on the agency’s existing efforts, working
with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal
agencies and departments.

Related: [182]Can tech turn the moon into the world’s biggest
billboard?

“In addition to detecting and tracking potentially hazardous objects,
the office will issue notices of close passes and warnings of any
detected potential impacts, based on credible science data,” explained
Source .... : http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/01/11/nasa-will-tackle-asteroids-with-new-planetary-defense-office.html
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