NASA will fail to identify 90% of dangerous asteroids – Linformatique.org

NASA has had to identify 90% of the hazardous asteroids to Earth by 2020, a goal that should not be reached.

Since 1998, NASA has spent about $ 100 million various programs for dangerous Earth celestial objects, initiatives taken to meet the goal set by Congress to identify 90% of the hazardous asteroids in the solar system in 2020.

In its report released Monday, the Inspector General of NASA, Paul Martin, wrote that the American space agency will fail to achieve its objective because of a lack of coordination. After some $ 100 million in 16 years to track celestial objects dangerous for the Earth, NASA has indeed correctly identified 95% of asteroids with a diameter equal to or greater than one kilometer, but less than 10% of asteroids less than 140 meters in diameter.

If this report caused a stir even within the space agency, NASA itself recognizes that it will not happen to reach the target.

In his report, Paul Martin pin the fact that it lacks a comprehensive oversight program, objectives and criteria for measuring progress, and points to the fact that the research would be overseen by a single employee.

Remembering the explosion of a small asteroid in the sky Chelyabinsk (Russia) in February 2013, there is much more aware of the importance of this tracking hazardous celestial objects for Earth.