What would we do if an NEO were found to be on a collision course with Earth? Could we deflect the asteroid to prevent the impact? In collaboration with Aerospace Corp., CNEOS has developed an NEO Deflection App, which examines the kinetic impactor deflection technique for a series of hypothetical impacting asteroids. This interactive page calculates the velocity changes necessary to deflect the asteroid away from Earth impact, as a function of parameters such as asteroid size and deflection time, and it allows the user to design a realistic deflection mission.
CNEOS has developed realistic impact scenarios for exercise carried out at recent Planetary Defense Conferences (PDCs). Our webpages provide the technical details of these intricate scenarios, including mock press releases and briefings that reveal challenging twists and turns in the stories. Initial details for the 2017 PDC impact scenario are also now available.
| Page | Description |
|---|---|
| NEO Deflection App | Learn about NEO kinetic impactor deflection |
| Hypothetical Impact Scenarios | Pages related to Planetary Defense Conference (PDC) impact scenarios and FEMA tabletop exercises |
| NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) | NASA HQ office responsible for ensuring the early detection of potentially hazardous objects (PHOs), tracking and characterizing PHOs and issuing warnings about potential impacts, providing timely and accurate communications about PHOs, and performing as a lead coordination node in U.S. Government planning for response to an actual impact threat. |