[meteorite-list] NASA Collides With Asteroid Experts

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 22:20:16 -0400
Message-ID: <s4cs53pgo6b6p85do0miroi5fjomnv1rlf_at_4ax.com>

NASA Collides With Asteroid Experts
Author Leonard David

Stay tuned for a close encounter of un-like minds regarding how best to deal
with the ?asteroid meets Earth? threat.

A meeting at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. is slated for June 18 between
top agency folks and former Apollo astronaut, Russell ?Rusty? Schweickart, the
lunar module pilot for the Apollo 9 mission. He and fellow planetary scientist,
Clark Chapman, are not too pleased with some of the recommendations in a
Congressionally mandated report that NASA coughed up for lawmakers on handling
the very real prospect of future space rocks smacking into Earth.

The intent of Chapman and Schweickart is to have that NASA study modified to
make it technically correct in several crucial ways. One major point of
contention is use of nuclear blasts to deal with threatening objects that have
Earth in their cross-hairs.

Meanwhile, NASA has already recanted a bit, releasing the previously censored
report and agreeing to acknowledge certain errors - which appear as errata in
the now-posted report that can be found at:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/FOIA/NEO_Analysis_Doc.pdf

Schweickart made it clear he?s not happy with all that?s in the NASA report,
speaking his mind at the recent National Space Society?s annual bash in Dallas.

In case you missed that story, check out:

http://www.space.com/adastra/070527_isdc_asteroids.html

Asteroid guru, Chapman told me: ?We?re hopeful that we can reach an
understanding on some fundamental technical issues about how to characterize and
deflect a threatening near-Earth asteroid. Then NASA can lay before Congress a
wholly sound plan and associated budgetary estimate so that Congress can
appropriate the rather modest new funds that would be necessary to address the
asteroid hazard.?
Received on Wed 30 May 2007 10:20:16 PM PDT