Because NEO impacts represent a global, long-term threat to the collective welfare of humanity,
an international program and set of preparatory measures for action should be established.
Once in place, these measures should enable the global community to identify a specific impact
threat and decide on effective prevention or disaster responses.
A global, coordinated response by the United Nations to the NEO impact hazard should ensure that three logical, necessary functions are performed:
1. Information Gathering, Analysis, and Warning
An Information, Analysis, and Warning Network should be established. This network would
operate a global system of ground- and/or space-based telescopes to detect and track
potentially hazardous NEOs. The network, using existing or new research institutions, should
analyze NEO orbits to identify potential impacts. The network should also establish criteria for
issuing NEO impact warnings.
2. Mission Planning and Operations
A Mission Planning and Operations "Group," drawing on the expertise of the spacefaring
nations, should be established and mandated to outline the most likely options for NEO
deflection missions. This group should assess the current, global capacity to deflect a
hazardous NEO by gathering necessary NEO information, identifying required technologies,
and surveying the NEO-related capabilities of interested space agencies. In response to a
specific warning, the group should use these mission plans to prepare for a deflection
campaign to prevent the threatened impact.
3. Mission Authorization and Oversight Group
The United Nations should exercise oversight of the above functions through an
intergovernmental Mission Authorization and Oversight "Group." This group would develop the
policies and guidelines that represent the international will to respond to the global impact
hazard. The Mission Authorization and Oversight Group should establish impact risk
thresholds and criteria to determine when to execute a NEO deflection campaign. The Mission
Authorization and Oversight Group would submit recommendations to the United Nations
Security Council for appropriate action.
The Association of Space Explorers and its international Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation are
confident that with a program for concerted action in place, the international community can
prevent most future impacts. The Association of Space Explorers and its international Panel are
firmly convinced that if the international community fails to adopt an effective, internationally
mandated program, society will likely suffer the effects of some future cosmic disaster—
intensified by the knowledge that loss of life, economic devastation, and long-lasting societal
disruption could have been prevented. Scientific knowledge and existing international
institutions, if harnessed today, offer society the means to avoid such a catastrophe. We cannot
afford to shirk that responsibility.
