Controversy over NASAs NEO survey program

[Darren Dirt]

[Mod: split from Sputnik thread]

re. partial-offtopic post: sorry, was just sarcastically commenting on how most of the people working at NASA will never experience the kind of exhilerating excitement that all the high-fivers are portrayed as enjoying in films like Armageddon, ID4, etc.

On a related note ( to the "Deep Impact/Armageddon" scenario):
"A Congressional hearing is on track for October 11, one that will deal with that controversial and contentious NASA report on dealing with the space agency?s NEO survey program. Lawmakers want to examine the status of NASA?s ability to track and catalog NEOs, and current thinking about how best to thwart an incoming space rock with Earth?s name on it. NASA recently sent to Congress ? at its request ? a report that scopes out asteroid detection and deflection. That study has come under fire, particularly by former Apollo astronaut, Rusty Schweickart" - LiveScience.com news

[Mr. Analog]

A lot of the trouble has come from the EU which is claiming that they see things that aren't on the "official" list of "unofficial" objects. Now, I wonder how much of that list are items that for whatever reason, NASA did not categorize. I mean, I have no doubt at all that the US has more than a few items floating around in orbit that don't show up on official lists and in my opinion that has to stop. All it would take is one collision accident with a manned crew to cause a significant international incident.

I think there has to be more discussion about the real estate in orbit anyway, if we plan on using space for commercial purposes we'll have to start cleaning it up first (hey, that could be a business!).

[Darren Dirt]

I think it's interesting that they are including in the 10,000 object count stuff as small as like 50 meters across. And yet they claim they would have a good 10 years or so warning before it would hit -- how the [bleep] can they scan that "big-ass sky" (to quote B.B.Thornton's "Truman" character ) and find objects that small with THAT much warning? Colour me skeptical...