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, were introduced in the 2009 sessions of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN/COPUOS) in Vienna, Austria.

The NEO Committee continues its work toward implementation of the recommendations by sponsoring a series of implementation workshops for each of the diagrammed functional elements.  In January 2010, the NEO Committee co-sponsored a workshop in Mexico City to work on the implementation issues for the IAWN (Information, Analysis, and Warning Network).  In October 2010, a workshop was held in Darmstadt, Germany, to bring together representatives from the space faring nations of the world to look at implementation of the MPOG (Mission Planning and Operations Group).  This workshop was the first time the space faring nations have come together to face the reality of dealing in a coordinated way with deflecting a NEO threatening an Earth impact.

Executive Summmary of the IAWN workshop

Executive Summary of the MPOG Workshop

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

2007

2006

2005

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)

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