COSMIC OBJECTS PANEL: PERSPECTIVES FOR THE DEFENSE OF HUMAN KIND AGAINST THE NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS HAZARD IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

摘要

The presence of a population of small planetary objects that may cross the orbit of the Earth constitutes a danger for the human civilization and more in general for the terrestrial biosphere. This is well known, and the scientific community is currently doing important actions to prevent possible collisions and mitigate the possible effects of such events. On the side of the detection of potentially hazardous objects, dedicated sky surveys are currently operational from ground and from space, and new, more powerful instruments will be made operational in the next years. On the side of the physical characterization of potential impactors, we have available a variety of techniques to be able to estimate the size and composition of these bodies, in spite of their relative faintness. In case of the discovery of an object moving along a trajectory that can lead to an impact with the Earth, different possible techniques can be considered to prevent the collision, depending on the time available between the discovery of the object and its predicted impact. What is still sorely missing is an agreed framework in which any possible activity of defense can be put into existence according to internationally agreed laws and treaties. The defense of the Earth against collisions with celestial bodies is a task that cannot be solved by scientists alone, but it requires actions by well-informed decision makers at an international level. For this reason, we propose in the framework of the New Manhattan Project the organization of an international conference in Erice, with the participation of scientists, engineers, lawyers, top officers of the most important Space Agencies and high-level members of the governments of different countries, as a first necessary step to establish a body of internationally agreed rules to set up a real system of defence against catastrophic collisions with near-Earth objects.