|
. | . |
|
by Staff Writers Paris (ESA) Jul 01, 2015
Each year, astronomers worldwide discover over 1000 new asteroids or other space rocks that could strike our planet. And if one is spotted heading towards Earth, experts working in ESA and national emergency offices need to know who should do what, and when. A critical factor in protecting lives and property in the event of an object being discovered en route to Earth is civil response, and how national authorities can best inform their citizens of what to do. In turn, this requires ESA to know how best to compile, analyse and distribute scientific information on an impending object to those national authorities. A workshop sponsored by ESA at the end of June saw delegates from six ESA Member states meeting with the Agency's Space Situational Awareness team to discuss asteroids - and to exercise the reactions that each would foresee in the event of a real near-Earth object, or NEO, threat. National emergency response offices in Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Romania, Sweden and the UK learned how the flow of information during an alert would run from ESA's NEO Coordination Centre to national authorities and then into national alert and warning systems. Delegates contributed crucial information about their countries' response networks - think of those used for severe weather or flood warning - aimed at the general public, businesses and communities.
600 000 known asteroids Of the more than 600 000 known asteroids in our Solar System, more than 12 000 are classified as NEOs because their orbits bring them relatively close to our path. While the likelihood of any real event remains small, understanding them and devising the best response is more important than ever since the Chelyabinsk strike in February 2013. Global awareness spiked after the event, and governments began to become aware of the kind of information they needed to provide to people on the ground - such as staying away from windows to avoid flying glass. In this third workshop, the UN-mandated International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and its relationship to ESA was highlighted.
Establishing interfaces to nation emergency offices "In the event of a threat, we need to clearly establish roles and responsibilities for the impact zone," said Nicolas Bobrinsky, Head of ESA's Space Situational Awareness. "Clear planning is the key to improved public safety." Another key component of the workshop was discussing a public communication plan for Member States. Knowing how and when to communicate threats and risk with the general public is crucial, and could be complicated by the fact that a potential risk may be known about years in advance or just days or weeks before impact.
Related Links ESA Space Situational Awareness Asteroid and Comet Impact Danger To Earth - News and Science
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. |