Congress propose Commission to Study Asteroid Impact danger

Lawmakers are paying new notice to how best to shield Earth from a bad day receiving whacked by an asteroid or comet that has our planet in its cross hairs. A new bill introduced to Congress proposes establish a government-sponsored commission to study the danger of a major space rock collision with Earth and how ready we are a country and a planet to face such a danger. There is a growing choir of concern concerning Near Earth Objects, or NEOs spot them and dealing with any Earth intimidating gatecrashers.

While the annual chance of the Earth being struck by a huge asteroid or comet is small, the consequences of such a collision are so disastrous that it is prudent to appraise the nature of the threat and prepare to contract with it, experts say. Last month, agent Dana Rohrabacher introduced the new bill before Congress, H.R. 5587, titled: "To establish a United States Commission on Planetary protection and for other purposes." The bill has been referred to the group on Science and Technology, on which Rohrabacher serves as a member. Both sides of the aisle are now looking at the commission idea.

"We require taking the next step, NEO search and tracking program continues to move forward, but nobody is taking blame for protection. I am surer than ever in our ability to identify potential threats from asteroids and comets, but it is critical to the future of humanity that we develop the capabilities to defend ourselves from those threats." Rohrabacher said that the Commission on Planetary Defense that he is proposing will review our planetary readiness for a force event and make recommendations on how to develop a sufficient response system to those threats.

Asteroid Probe Tweak Path Back to Earth

A Japanese asteroid probe is a step closer to coming home – possibly with a piece of space rock on board – after firing its thruster to stay on course for a plan June 13 landing.The probe, called Hayabusa, start by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in May 2003, is returning from the nearby asteroid 25143 Itokawa, where it land and tried to collect samples.

The beleaguered probe reached the asteroid in 2005, but has suffered a number of malfunctions during flight that have extended its mission nearly three years longer than planned.Mission scientists are not even sure if Hayabusa managed to collect samples on Itokawa but they still hope the explore managed to problem at least some asteroid dust and pebbles inside a collection canister.

The 950-pound (430-kg) spacecraft's sample return capsule is scheduled to land back on Earth June 13 at the Woomera Test Range in the waste of South Australia. In the recent maneuver JAXA was able to shift the probe's path from Earth's outer edge toward its intended landing site in Australia. The spacecraft is currently about 3.6 million kilometers away from Earth.The move went successfully, which was a nice break for the spacecraft after the lengthy string of engineering difficulties it has suffered since leaving its asteroid aim.