United States space agency NASA program designed to detect Earth hazardous asteroids and planetary protection from collisions with them are desperate and far behind the requirements of the program on Monday disclosed in audit reports published by Physorg.com.
"The annual 40 million. Dollars only 1 million. Rebuttal strategy on an asteroid or areas at risk of attack, evacuation - said NASA inspector general Paul Martin.
In 2005. Congress authorized NASA to develop Earth-threatening objects (Near Earth Objects, NEO) Tracking program, which fixed more than 140 meters in diameter space rocks to assess their threat to the planet by 2020. 90 percent. such objects report.
"Although the program since 1998. Catalogued was discovered and more than 11 thousand. NEO, NASA estimates that the program has identified only about 10 per cent. 140 meters in diameter and larger asteroids. This means that by 2020. Term also registers 90 percent. these asteroids fail "- taught the audit findings.
Moreover, the NEO program has been hailed as "led by one person, and in the structure of a Silly, is not integrated investigatory projects conglomerate that lacks coordination, insights and progress." The report points out that "many do not discover the NEO threat and will decay before reaching the Earth's surface.
"However, some people manage to slip undiscovered, come down very low - for example, 18-meter diameter asteroid in 2013. February Chelyabinsk over thirty nuclear bombs bursting output, smashed the windows of the city, apgriovusiam buildings, and wounded more than 1 thousand. People."
