February 19, 2007 -- SAN FRANCISCO - An asteroid may come uncomfortably close to Earth in 2036, and the United Nations should assume responsibility for a space mission to deflect it, a group of astronauts, engineers and scientists said Saturday.
Astronomers are monitoring the 460-foot-long asteroid Apophis, which is given only a 1-in-45,000 chance of striking Earth on April 13, 2036, but which could take out an entire city or region on impact.
A recent congressional mandate for NASA to upgrade its asteroid tracking is expected to uncover hundreds of threatening space rocks in the near future, ex-astronaut Rusty Schweickart said.
"Every country is at risk. We need a set of general principles to deal with this," he told an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Francisco.
A spacecraft would use gravity to alter an asteroid's course by maintaining a nearby position and exerting a gentle tug that would
Astronomers are monitoring the 460-foot-long asteroid Apophis, which is given only a 1-in-45,000 chance of striking Earth on April 13, 2036, but which could take out an entire city or region on impact.
A recent congressional mandate for NASA to upgrade its asteroid tracking is expected to uncover hundreds of threatening space rocks in the near future, ex-astronaut Rusty Schweickart said.
"Every country is at risk. We need a set of general principles to deal with this," he told an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Francisco.
A spacecraft would use gravity to alter an asteroid's course by maintaining a nearby position and exerting a gentle tug that would
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