These smaller asteroids (200-500 meters wide) could potentially demolish a city with a direct hit or cause a tsunami capable of wiping out entire coastal areas if they land in the ocean.

NASA has catalogued nearly 50 percent of asteroids 1 kilometer wide and larger. Astronomers estimate that between 900 and 1300 of the larger asteroids exist while there could be as many as 50,000 in the smaller range.

Subcommittee Chairman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) stated, "The threat posed by incoming asteroids and comets is a serious, potentially life-threatening topic. Given the number of near-earth objects in space, it is a matter of time before we are faced with an event unparalleled in human history.

I hope that my legislation, H.R. 5303, passed by the House on Tuesday will strengthen existing government capabilities for tracking natural space objects by encouraging private citizens to observe asteroids and comets."

Subcommittee Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) added, "NASA's Mission Statement says that part of its mission is '... to protect our home planet.' I hope NASA will heed the message of today's hearing and work with other agencies of the U.S. government to craft a timely, cost-effective plan to detect and catalog as many as possible of the Near-Earth asteroids and comets that could potentially threaten our population.

We cannot afford to be complacent."

Dr. David Morrison, senior scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, discussed NASA's goals and accomplishments in monitoring NEOs through the "Spaceguard" program.

Morrison noted that Spaceguard was halfway to its goal and he expected that by 2008 NASA will have 90 percent of large, kilometer-sized threatening asteroids catalogued.

Morrison added, "Our objective should be to find a large impactor far in advance, and thus provide decision-makers with options for dealing with the threat and defending our planet from cosmic catastrophe."

NEOs also pose a serious concern for the military, Brigadier General Simon P. Worden testified. Worden told of an asteroid that entered the atmosphere and exploded above the Mediterranean during last year's India-Pakistan conflict.

U. S. satellites detected an energy release and shockwave comparable to the Hiroshima bomb, and Worden explained that had the event taken place at the same latitude two hours earlier and mistaken for a nuclear detonation it could have had devastating consequences. Worden added, "I believe there is considerable synergy between national security requirements related to man-made satellites and global security requirements related to NEO impacts."

Witnesses also debated the merits of continuing the cataloging effort on smaller NEO's once the Spaceguard program is completed. Dr. Brian Marsden, Director of the Minor Planet Center of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, testified that handling the large amount of data from surveys of smaller NEOs would be a challenging, but feasible, task.

Dr. Joseph Burns, a member of the Solar System Exploration Survey Committee of the National Research Council, testified that NASA should partner with the National Science Foundation to build and operate a large ground-based survey telescope because of NSF's expertise in ground based astronomy and NASA's traditional support of ground-based solar system observations that support space missions.

Dr. Ed Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science, disagreed saying, "I feel that it is premature to consider an extension of our current national program to include a complete search for smaller-sized NEOs." He also noted that NASA did not feel the agency "should play a role in any follow-on search and cataloging effort unless that effort needs to be specifically space-based in nature."

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) said, "For too long we've assumed that the worst asteroid risk would come from Hollywood -- in the form of a sequel to flops like Deep Impact or Armageddon.

But the threat posed by Near Earth Objects is real, and if we can plow $100 million into a summer flick, we can certainly give NASA the means to make us safer from real life blockbusters."

related report
House Honors Firefighters, Passes Celestial Legislation
Washington - Oct 02, 2002 - The House of Representatives has approved three more Science Committee bills. The House voted to reward amateur astronomers for discovering near-earth asteroids, and to expand the use and application of remote sensing data.

H.R. 5303

H.R. 5303, the Charles "Pete" Conrad Astronomy Awards Act, named for the third man to walk on the moon, establishes awards to encourage amateur astronomers to discover and track asteroids crossing in a near-earth orbit. Earth has experienced several near-misses with asteroids that would have proven catastrophic, and the scientific community relies heavily on amateur astronomers to discover and track these objects. The House approved the bill by voice vote yesterday evening.

"Pete Conrad was a pilot, explorer, and entrepreneur of the highest caliber. I think it is fitting that we honor Pete Conrad by establishing this award to encourage amateur astronomers and private citizens to keep looking up and out into the future," said bill sponsor and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA).

H.R. 2426

The Remote Sensing Applications Act, approved by voice vote last night, will establish a grant program to help integrate remote sensing data to address state, local and regional needs. The U.S. already collects an abundant amount of remote sensing data, but it is often used only for scientific ventures. However, it can have countless local applications including helping in urban planning, coastal zone management, resource supervision and disaster monitoring for state and local authorities.

Bill sponsor Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) said, "By giving state and local governments and communities greater access to geospatial data from commercial sources and federal agencies such as NASA, I believe that the federal government can help bring valuable -- and powerful -- informational planning resources to the table.

Related Links
Witness testimony and an archived web cast
Full text of the hearing charter
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