There is a 1 in 350 chance that NASA's planned mission to Pluto could malfunction, causing an explosion and releasing radioactive plutonium in the six-county area surrounding Cape Canaveral, according to government risk assessments.
The editors of Florida Today argue that the U.S. defense department should share its early warning data with new nuclear powers to help prevent miscalculations caused by meteor impacts.
Researchers from prestigious universities, aerospace companies, think tanks, NASA and the Air Force debate the merits of asteroid defense preparations.