Astronomers and other scientists descended on Washington, D.C., to attend the Planetary Defense Conference and to compose a white paper on the threat to Earth from asteroids; it was hoped that the document might persuade Congress, which authorized NASA in 2005 to search for space objects larger than 140 meters, to provide funding for the project, which is aimed at preventing the deaths of billions of people that a collision with a moderate-size asteroid might cause. A study found that Venus is the best place for a telescope, preferably infrared, dedicated to spotting such asteroids.
Astronomers and other scientists descended on Washington, D.C., to attend the Planetary Defense Conference and to compose a white paper on the threat to Earth from asteroids; it was hoped that the document might persuade Congress, which authorized NASA in 2005 to search for space objects larger than 140 meters, to provide funding for the project, which is aimed at preventing the deaths of billions of people that a collision with a moderate-size asteroid might cause. A study found that Venus is the best place for a telescope, preferably infrared, dedicated to spotting such asteroids.
