Congresswoman Johnson, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing titled, “Threats from Space: A Review of U.S. Government Efforts to Track and Mitigate Asteroids and Meteors, Part 1,” to hear testimony on the roles and responsibilities of agencies in detecting, tracking, and monitoring near-Earth objects (NEOs), including those that are potentially hazardous; the resources, technologies and methods used; and coordination between government agencies or organizations. Testifying before the Committee were The Honorable John P. Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP); Gen. William L. Shelton, Commander of the U.S. Air Force Space Command; and The Honorable Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Part 2 of the Committee’s examination of NEOs will be held by the Subcommittee on Space in early April.
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson said in her opening statement, “There is increasing scientific evidence that impacts by large asteroids and comets have had profound consequences for life on Earth at various times in the past, even contributing to mass extinctions. While such events are very rare, they obviously can cause untold damage, and are not something we want to have happen if we can avoid it. I think it is our increased scientific understanding of Near Earth Objects and their potential to impact the Earth that has led Congress to take this subject seriously in recent years.”
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has led the establishment of U.S. policy on dealing with potentially threatening near-Earth objects since the 1990s. Congress has issued direction to NASA to survey, monitor, and characterize potentially hazardous objects and to meet stated goals and timelines. NASA’s NEO program and survey has been implemented in response to the Congressional mandates. In addition, the 2008 NASA Authorization Act included direction on the establishment of a lead agency for protecting the planet and on initiating international dialogue in response to the threat of a hazardous near-Earth object headed for Earth.
Witnesses and Democratic Members discussed a number of issues including the importance of international cooperation when dealing with NEOs; which agency would have overall responsibility for protecting the U.S. from NEOs; the challenge in establishing the cost effectiveness of investing in detection or mitigation; and the impact of the sequester on the U.S.’s ability to effectively make progress on addressing these issues and emergency response.
Source Committee On Science Space & Technology
