Protecting Earth

A report by the National Academy of Science argues the United States should spend more in protecting the Earth from the threat of asteroid impact. It cites totals of $4 million on identifying asteroids that might pose a threat, and less than $1 million in developing strategies and spacecraft to deflect asteroids years before they strike. For its part, NASA says it would need $1 billion over 15 years to find all the asteroids Congress has tasked it to find.

The NAS seems to assume the United States should foot the bill for this entire effort. In fact, a major asteroid strike would be a planetwide event. There is no reason, therefore, that any one nation should shoulder the entire burden. To the contrary, protecting the Earth from outside threats is a prime case for international cooperation. There is room for many nations to contribute to the effort, and the overall program is not so huge that even small nations cannot make significant contributions. Protecting Earth from asteroids could be another small step towards more orchestrated international efforts to deal with common concerns.