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Planetary Defence - A Duty for World Defenders_NH11A-1901.pdf (2.88 MB)

Planetary defence: a duty for world defenders

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posted on 2023-06-08, 23:45 authored by Jim Burke, Alaa Hussein, Anushree Soni, Madhu Thangavelu, Nikola Schmidt, Thomas Wilson
This poster is an advocacy document. We believe that it is now time for an international coalition of military/industrial/atomic agencies to take on the tasks of designing, building and maintaining in readiness active defenses against asteroids and comets threatening to impact Earth. We visualize a policy environment where a relatively small portion of existing defense resources is redirected to Planetary Defense, with already-established ground and space PD efforts allocated increased backing and increased responsibility in supporting roles. A main part of the needed policy structure is already in place. An International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and a Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) are functioning under auspices of the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). In the near term, intercept action will be launched upon validation of an impact threat by IAWN and SMPAG. The activity should start with conventional technology while awaiting needed international policy changes allowing use of nuclear energy, essential in the case of less-likely but more dangerous threats. An important side benefit of the proposed collaborative military involvement would be increased knowledge of the risk and increased trust among nations.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Presentation Type

  • paper

Event name

American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting

Event location

San Francisco, USA

Event type

conference

Event date

14-18 Dec 2015

Department affiliated with

  • Engineering and Design Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Contributors

Joan Johnson-Freese

Legacy Posted Date

2015-12-18

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2015-12-18

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2015-12-18

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