[meteorite-list] Congressional Hearing on Asteroid Threats Scheduled for March 19, 2013

[Ron Baalke]

http://science.house.gov/hearing/full-committee-hearing-threats-space-meteors-and-comets-part-1

Hearing will be Webcast live.

**RESCHEDULED** Full Committee Hearing - 
Threats from Space: A Review of U.S. Government Efforts to Track and Mitigate 
Asteroids and Meteors, Part 1

2318 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 

Mar 19, 2013 10:00am (Eastern time)

Hearing Charter (see below)

Witnesses

The Honorable John P. Holdren, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, 
Executive Office of the President

Gen. William L. Shelton, Commander, U.S. Air Force Space Command

The Honorable Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration

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U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

HEARING CHARTER

Threats from Space: A Review of U.S. Government Efforts to Track and Mitigate 
Asteroids and Meteors, Part 1

Purpose

The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a hearing titled 
"Threats from Space: A Review of U.S. Government Efforts to Track and Mitigate 
Asteroids and Meteors, Part 1." This is the first in a series of hearings 
examining the tracking, characterization and mitigation of Near Earth 
Objects. The hearing will provide Members of the Committee the opportunity 
to receive testimony regarding the ongoing work, planned efforts, and 
coordination procedures within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 
the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the U.S. Air Force Space 
Command.

Witnesses:

o The Honorable John P. Holdren, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, 
  Executive Office of the President
o Gen. William L. Shelton, Commander, U.S. Air Force Space Command
o The Honorable Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Administrator, National Aeronautics 
  and Space Administration

Overview

On Friday, February 15, 2013, two events occurred that received worldwide attention. 
An unforeseen meteor (estimated 50 feet in diameter) exploded in the sky above the 
Russian city of Chelyabinsk releasing the equivalent of a 300 kiloton bomb, about 
twenty times the explosive energy of the atomic blast used over the city of Hiroshima. 
This blast injured nearly 1,200 people and resulting in an estimated $33 
million in property damage. On the same day, a small asteroid (150 feet 
in diameter) discovered by amateur astronomers and tracked closely by 
NASA passed safely by the Earth, but within the orbital belt of geostationary 
satellites. Until it entered our atmosphere, the Russian meteor went completely 
undetected. According to NASA, the two events were unrelated, but raised public 
awareness of the potential threat from Near Earth Objects (NEOs). Today's hearing 
will cover the U.S. government's plans and programs to track, classify, and mitigate 
the threat of NEOs. A second hearing is planned this month to address international, 
commercial private sector, and philanthropic initiatives to survey the sky for 
asteroids and comets.

>From these two incidents, many questions arose, among them:

o Do we have the tools and technology necessary to detect and track Near Earth Objects?

o How often do we currently observe large meteors entering the atmosphere safely 
  over the ocean?

o Are we tracking the right size objects, specifically the ones that can cause 
  significant harm on Earth?

o Once we identify an object, what are our means of tracking it?

o What are our contingencies and mitigation capabilities if we determine there is a 
  threat to the Earth from a NEO impact?

o What process exists amongst government agencies, both foreign and domestic, in such 
  an instance?

The Science, Space, and Technology Committee has been on the forefront of the issues 
surrounding Near Earth Objects. For example, the NASA Authorization Acts of 2000 and 
2005 directed NASA to conduct a survey of the population of NEOs and study 
mitigation plans. Astronomers estimate 20,000 potentially hazardous asteroids 
orbit within the vicinity of the Earth.