How did Russia's early warning system miss the meteorite? Nuclear missile-detecting radars never saw it coming — Damien Gayle —Daily Mail — Feb 18, 2013
Almost 1,200 were injured when the untracked lump of space rock exploded over the Urals, with the debris narrowly missing a direct and devastating hit on the industrial city of Chelyabinsk. But with Russia having one of the most high tech early warning systems of any nation on Earth, many are wondering why the nuclear superpower was not able to detect the incoming object itself. [More]
Skyfall: will a Russian meteor and an asteroid flyby change our minds about the NEO threat? — Jeff Foust —The Space Review — Feb 18, 2013
On Friday a meteor disintegrated in the skies of souther Russia, causing considerable damage to buildings in the city of Chelyabinsk. Jeff Foust examines whether that, and an asteroid flying close by the Earth the same day, will raise awareness enough about the threat posed by near Earth objects to generate increased government or private funding for search efforts [More]
At a new center in Cambridge, a philosopher, an astronomer, and a software pioneer are looking for ways to save humanity from itself. [More]
At the current rate that near-Earth asteroids are being detected, it will take astronomers 15 years to identify every one of significant size and even more than 10 times longer to characterize their materials, a new study suggests. [More]
The next 50 years of spaceflight will carry many challenges and surprises for explorers hoping to extend their reach into the cosmos. But it will also likely hold untapped riches for space science and spinoff technology that could, one day, catapult human [More]
Deep Space Industries, Inc, announced plans to send a fleet of asteroid-prospecting to target asteroids in 2015 — and that’s just the first step in their ambitious proposal.
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Deep Space Industries says it wants to start sending miniature scout probes, dubbed "Fireflies," on one-way missions to near-Earth asteroids as soon as 2015. Larger probes, "Dragonflies," that will bring back 50- to 100-pound samples from prospective targets could be on their way by 2016, company CEO David Gump told reporters. [More]
Big Strides Made in Tracking Near-Earth Asteroids, NASA Scientist Says — Miriam Kramer —Space.com — Jan 15, 2013
Humanity has made substantial progress in the hunt for near-Earth asteroids that could potentially pose a grave threat to the planet, NASA's chief space rock hunter said Monday (Jan. 14). [More]
Banks seek NSA help amid attacks on their computer systems — Ellen Nakashima —Washington Post — Jan 11, 2013
Major U.S. banks have turned to the National Security Agency for help protecting their computer systems after a barrage of assaults that have disrupted their Web sites, according to industry officials. [More]
As the Sun approaches the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, there’s renewed awareness, and concern, about the effects space weather can have on society, including disrupting communications and the power grid. Jeff Foust reports some people remain worried about the ability to predict such storms and to prepare for them. [More]