National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

Report Offers Ways to Detect More Near-Earth Objects


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Comet Shwassmann-Wachmann 3 December 14, 1995. Photo courtesy NASA by Tim Puckett from Villa Rica, Ga. USA

January 22, 2010 -- A new report from the National Research Council lays out options NASA could follow to detect more near-Earth objects (NEOs) – asteroids and comets that could pose a hazard if they cross Earth’s orbit. The report says the $4 million the U.S. spends annually to search for NEOs is insufficient to meet a congressionally mandated requirement to detect NEOs that could threaten Earth.