Members of the ASE Committee on Near Earth Objects

Members of the Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation

Rusty Schweickart (USA)
Sergei Avdeev (Russia)
Chris Hadfield (Canada)
Thomas Jones (USA)
Edward Lu (USA)
Dumitru Prunariu (Romania)
Viktor Savinykh (Russia)
Franklin Chang-Diaz (USA/Costa Rica)

Adigun Ade Abiodun, Nigeria
Vallampadugai Arunachalam, India
Roger-Maurice Bonnet, Switzerland
Sergio Camacho-Lara, Mexico
James George, Canada
Tomifumi Godai, Japan
Peter Jankowitsch, Austria
Sergey Kapitza, Russia
Paul Kovacs, Canada
Walther Lichem, Austria
Gordon McBean, Canada
Lord Martin Rees, United Kingdom
Karlene Roberts, United States
Michael Simpson, United States
Sir Crispin Tickell, United Kingdom
Richard Tremayne-Smith, United Kingdom
Frans von der Dunk, Netherlands
James Zimmerman, United States

The Association of Space Explorers (ASE) Committee on Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and its Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation have completed a two-year effort to help the international community protect the Earth from future asteroid impacts.  Their report and recommendations, Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response, will be introduced in the 2009 sessions of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN/COPUOS) in Vienna, Austria.

 

Media Roundup

12/1

Asteroid Threats: UN Officials Briefed on Need for Global Response

Newswise.com

11/26

Space experts offer anti-asteroid plan

Google News/AP

11/3

Astronomers hunt for Earth-bound killer rocks

San Francisco Chronicle

10/14

Asteroid deflection: Planning for the inevitable

Aerospace America

10/9

Why the World Needs Asteroid Insurance

Popular Mechanics

9/27

UN Urged to Coordinate Killer Asteroid Defenses

ABC News

9/26

UN Urged to Coordinate Killer Asteroid Defences

New Scientist

9/25

UN Urged to Prep for Non-fiction Deep Impact

The Register (UK)

9/25

Panel Completes Report on International Response to Asteroid Threat

CBS News/Local Wire

9/25

Scientists Warn of Catastrophic Asteroid Danger

KTVU

9/25

Managing the Impact Hazard

SpaceRef

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogroll

10/6

Space Explorers Plead with UN to Prepare for Killer Asteroids

News Cottage

9/30

Action Urged on Asteroids

MSNBC/Cosmic Log

9/26

The sky really will be falling one day

MABFAN's Musings

9/26

What are Near Earth Objects?

Scientific American Blog

9/25

Will an Asteroid Destroy Earth? Time for U.N. to Keep Tabs, Experts Say

Scientific American Blog

9/25

What 'Deep Impact' Might an Asteroid Make on Earth, Astronauts Ask

Scientific American Blog

     
     

The ASE formed its Committee on NEOs at its Congress in Salt Lake City in October 2005 and charged it with bringing to the attention of world leaders and key international institutions the threat of asteroid impacts to life on Earth. In an Open Letter of October 14, 2005, the ASE said, in part:

“Due to advances in both the discovery of these objects and in space technology we are aware of the unique fact that these infrequent cosmic collisions are, using advanced space technology, both predictable and preventable. This distinctive and providential characteristic of NEO impacts allows the prevention of these largest of natural disasters, if, and only if, national governments and relevant international institutions understand these inevitable events and act together to prevent their occurrence.”

Committing itself to support the world community in addressing this challenge, the ASE NEO Committee formed an international expert Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation and, in a series of four workshops developed a program and set of recommendations to help the international community in making timely decisions regarding the impact threat. The ASE and its Panel are submitting their work for consideration by the international community via the United Nations.

NEO Committee Activity Timeline:

2008

29 September – 3 October

Decision Program on Asteroid Threat Mitigation (presentation to IAC)

25 September

Excerpt: Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response

22-25 September

Workshop IV (San Francisco, CA)

13-20 July

The Asteroid Impact Threat: Decisions Upcoming (Presentation to 37th COSPAR)

23-26 April

Workshop III (Guanacaste, Costa Rica)

27 February

NEO Status Report

18 February

NEO Presentation to the United Nations

2007

12-15 September

Workshop II (Sibiu, Romania)

9-12 May

Workshop I (Strasbourg, France)

23 March

Status Report

5-9 March The NEO Threat: International Policy Issues (AIAA Planetary Defense Conference)

21 February

NEO Committee Report to COPUOS

2006

17 November

Status Report

6 August First NEO Workshop Announcement

31 May

Status Report

20 February – 3 March ASE Intervention at the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS

20 February

Report to the Royal Aeronautical Society & CCLRC

2005

30 November

ASE NEO Committee letter to Action Team-14

14 October

ASE Issues NEO Open Letter to the international community, forms international committee on Near Earth Objects

The NEO Committee is supported in part by grants from the following organizations:

The Mitchell Kapor Foundation ($50,000)
Kauffman Family Fund ($10,000)
Ploughshares Fund ($9,000)
Kirsch Foundation ($5,000 pledge)

The Committee is also working with the Secure World Foundation on this project.


Home

 

The Association

 

ASE Members

 

Planetary Congress

Activities

 

Boards & Committees

 

Collectibles

 

Corporate Members