Who is responsible to protect the earth from asteroid.?

Answer 1

I think that we ought to light a fire under the world's collective feet on this matter. To that end, I make the following proposal:

Sometime in the next decade, let us send the Space Terrorists out to the asteroid called 2001-YB5. You can find it in this orbit:

a = 2.349557177836 au
e = 0.862427471513
i = 5.490700413641 deg
L = 109.3451209415 deg
w = 114.2474452629 deg
T = JD 2453637.57768

At 18h Universal Time on 29 April 2018, the Space Terrorists will impart the following delta-vee to the asteroid.
speed = 83.659 m/s
right ascension = 15h 24m 20.79s
declination = +5.4816652 deg

617.02 days later, on 6 January 2020, the asteroid will smash into Earth at more than 30 km/sec, releasing the energy of about 5000 megatons TNT. Unless, of course, someone prevents the asteroid from hitting.

Anyway, that's my plan. Do we hire the Space Terrorists or don't we?

Answer 2

This is a rather new threat to the survival of the earth. There are various government organizations in various countries and also private institutes etc that have taken the first step. and that is to track the orbits of millions of asteroids and locate the suspect ones. There are too many parameters to this problem o there is not one definitive solution to all comers, Size/mass/velocity/trajectories/prediction and time available from discovery to impact. Experts tell us that we need at least a 50 year warning-a hundred would be better so that we can mount a reasonable defense. if it is less than that we are defenseless as of today.

Answer 3

There is no national or international organization tasked with the job although some international groups and others such as The Association of Space Explorers (ASE) of scientists, engineers, astronauts and military experts who have already considered this. They meet to discuss and assess the situation of such potential threats from near- earth objects. .Some groups think NASA should do the job. There reports are submitted to the United Nations to bring to attention the need for such an organization.

Having said that all scientists and experts such as NASA and others are always on the look out for any threat to our planet by asteroids.

Answer 4

Nobody is. But suppose NASA did stop a big asteroid from hitting Earth, at a cost of billions of dollars. It the rest of the world obliged to help pay the cost? Or is the U.S. just responsible for saving the world? Who gave us that job? OK, so if we could we would, because we have as much to loose as everyone else in the world. I just don't like the idea that we have to do it and nobody else does.

Answer 5

You question implies one person or a being which I doubt exists. The earth's atmosphere on the other hand has been protecting us for many years from asteroids.

Answer 6

At the moment, NASA and the Russians are working together to figure out what to do in case an asteroid does come to hit Earth. They have a few methods, one of them, or course, is launching a huge rocket at it and trying to blow it to pieces. There are a few methods that I know of...

Answer 7

The same people who were responsible for protecting New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.

Kind of gives you this warm feeling of personal safety, doesn't it?

Answer 8

No one is currently responsible... the same argument can be used for a tidal wave... no one is responsible. Astronomers feel responsibility for looking for them, but stopping them would be delegated to the main space faring groups:

NASA
Chinese Space agency
European Space Agency

NASA and China rely on their governments to fund their operations, and so this will be based on the government decisions.
European agency relies upon both governmental and corporate investment from several sources.

Answer 9

actually that job falls onto the atmosphere. if its working properly an asteroice comes into the atmosphere and becomes a meteor as it starts to burn away with out the atmosphere the earth would look like the moon does now!

Answer 10

No one is "responsible" for it. But some governments, especially the US from my knowledge, have some resources in tracking and prevention, as well as theoretical ways to preserve life in the event on one.