[FPSPACE] Failure is the expected result of current NASA impactdetection effort

[Jens Kieffer-Olsen]

-----Original Message-----
From: E.P. Grondine [mailto:epgrondine at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 3:31 AM

> Hi Jens - 
>
> Why the hell do you expect the US taxpayer to pick up
> the entire bill for this? You're real good telling us
> about what NASA should do, but what part of this do you
> think the ESA should do? Why should the EU rate payers
> get a free ride?

 Hi Ed -

 I gather from your above comment that you are unaware
 of the work carried out by the NEODyS team?

 In fact, one of the three asteroids that I mentioned is
 known to be dangerous due to an intensive study by just
 that team:
 http://arxiv.org/abs/0901.3631

 The Near Earth Objects Dynamic Site ( NEODyS ) is located
 in Europe at the University of Pisa in Italy, with a backup
 at the University of Valladolid in Spain.

 Transponder missions to Potentially Hazardous Asteroids for
 which observations alone cannot eliminate the risk of impact
 cost less than many purely scientific NASA missions. What I'm
 asking is that NASA's priorities are set right, not that more
 money be spent. 

 A mission to actually divert an asteroid is expensive and
 way beyond the current NASA budget. But then, I didn't call
 for one. It is known on the other hand that Apophis - if
 making an impact in 2036 - will strike the American
 continent. Will you be arguing nevertheless that its
 diversion should be a shared responsibility between NASA,
 ESA, and maybe Asian agencies? 
 
--
Jens Kieffer-Olsen
Slagelse, Denmark