The Private Mission To Save Planet Earth (From Asteroids)

Our Solar system is a potentially world-altering place when it comes to asteroid impacts; planetary scientists continue to find plentiful evidence of multiple and massive asteroid impacts on other planets and the various moons that orbit them…And, of course, there is evidence of “extinction level” impacts occurring in the distant past here on Earth. Such cataclysmic impact events are caused by asteroids typically 1 km or greater in size, and those with near-Earth orbits represent the greatest “civilization threatening” danger for our small blue planet. Fortunately, the large size of these objects makes them easier to spot; using ground-based telescopes, NASA’ s has been able to identify “most” of these 1 km or larger Near-Earth Objects (NEO). With sufficient advanced warning, such a massive object — with a calculated path that approaches Earth — could be spotted in time to do something about it (although what to do, exactly, is still a matter of much discussion). [...]