Planetary Defense Conference: NASA to Participate in Exercise Simulating Asteroid Impact

Ancient 100 Kilometer Diameter Impact Crater

This image was captured by the International Space Station Expedition 59 crew as they orbited 400 kilometers above Quebec, Canada. Right of center, the ring-shaped lake is a modern reservoir within the eroded remnant of an ancient 100 kilometer diameter impact crater, which is over 200 million years old. Credit: NASA, International Space Station Expedition 59

During the week of April 26, members of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) will participate in a “tabletop exercise” to simulate an asteroid impact scenario. The exercise depicting this fictional event is being led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), allowing NASA’s PDCO and other U.S. agencies and space science institutions, along with international space agencies and partners, to use the fictitious scenario to investigate how near-Earth object (NEO) observers, space agency officials, emergency managers, decision makers, and citizens might respond and work together to an actual impact prediction and simulate the evolving information that becomes available in the event an asteroid impact threat is discovered. 

The fictitious impact scenario will occur during the 7th IAA Planetary Defense Conference, hosted by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs in cooperation with the European Space Agency, and will evolve over the five days of the conference, starting Monday, April 26. At several points in the conference program, leaders of the exercise will brief participants on the latest status of the fictitious scenario and solicit feedback for the next steps based on the simulated data that is “discovered” each day. These type of exercises are specifically identified as part of the National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan developed over a three-year period and published by the White House in June 2018. 

“Each time we participate in an exercise of this nature, we learn more about who the key players are in a disaster event, and who needs to know what information, and when,” said Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer. “These exercises ultimately help the planetary defense community communicate with each other and with our governments to ensure we are all coordinated should a potential impact threat be identified in the future.”

So far, NASA has participated in seven impact scenarios—four at previous Planetary Defense Conferences (2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019) and three in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The joint NASA-FEMA exercises included representatives of several other federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and State. 

“Hypothetical asteroid impact exercises provide opportunities for us to think about how we would respond in the event that a sizeable asteroid is found to have a significant chance of impacting our planet,” said Dr. Paul Chodas, director of CNEOS. “Details of the scenario—such as the probability of the asteroid impact, where and when the impact might occur—are released to participants in a series of steps over the days of the conference to simulate how a real situation might evolve.” 

Large Fireball Over Bering Sea

The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite captured a large fireball — or extremely bright and visible meteor (or meteoroid) — over the Bering Sea on December 18, 2018. The fireball’s explosion unleashed 49 kilotons of energy. The image shows the path the meteoroid traveled and its point of explosion (lower right). Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL-Caltech, MISR Team

The fictional scenario kicks off on April 26, when astronomers “discover” a potentially hazardous NEO considered a risk to Earth. Details about the imaginary asteroid’s threat to our planet will evolve over the days of the conference, and exercise participants will discuss potential preparations for asteroid reconnaissance and deflection missions and planning for mitigation of a potential impact’s effects. But it is a real parameter that the international community has decided that a 1 in 100 chance of impact is the threshold to begin response actions. 

The Planetary Defense Conference and its exercise serve as precursors to the launch of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which is the first-ever actual demonstration of an asteroid deflection technology, and the first test mission of the agency’s Planetary Defense program. DART is scheduled to launch later this year and will impact the asteroid Dimorphos in Fall 2022 to change its orbit in space, which could be a key technique for mitigating a potentially hazardous asteroid that is on a collision path with Earth should one be discovered in the future. Through an international observation campaign, follow up observations of Dimorphos using ground-based telescopes will monitor the orbit of Dimorphos and measure the change in the time it takes the asteroid to orbit its larger companion, Didymos, due to DART’s impact. 

“DART will be the first test for planetary defense, and the data returned after it impacts Dimorphos will help scientists better understand one way we might mitigate a potentially hazardous NEO discovered in the future,” said Andrea Riley, program executive for DART at NASA Headquarters. “While the asteroid DART impacts poses no threat to Earth, it is in a perfect location for us to perform this test of the technology before it may actually be needed.”

Starting April 26, this page will be updated during the week with quick snapshots that capture the results from each step of the exercise. More information on the exercise, including a “fact sheet” of updated findings, will be available on the exercise page on the 2021 PDC Hypothetical Asteroid Impact Scenario page.

11 Comments on "Planetary Defense Conference: NASA to Participate in Exercise Simulating Asteroid Impact"

  1. What were the statistical odds that the object, oumuamua, the first object of its kind to be seen, from outside of our solar system, to have the perfect orbit to go around our sun, and come nearby to earth. What is the probability of all of those things? I guess the number is quite high.

  2. There is nothing coming through Gods Firmament. They have decieved the whole world with fakery. CGI at its worst on top of that. The dumbed down masses just keep beleiving what they are fed. Questioning nothing. Smoke and mirrors. Wake up Everyone they are laughing at you.

  3. Dann Lee Ingram Jr. | April 27, 2021 at 6:11 am | Reply

    To the person saying, “Nothing is coming through God’s Firmament” 🙏. Purchase a telescope! Quit using Christianity as an excuse to not acknowledge the science that goes along with faith. I believe in Yeshua Messiah also, and I believe in miracles. But I also believe scientific proof of stuff, faith and science are there to edify one another man. If you have never seen a shooting star, a meteorite, etc.. I feel terribly bad for you.

  4. Jy you are so right! Many scriptures confirm the firmament! God says man’s science is foolishness.

  5. Dann lee how about you look at the stars with a p900 camera and see what they really are. You can actually go on YouTube and see others who have posted if you don’t have one. Have you ever seen a meteorite hit the earth live yourself? When these astronots, who are all freemasons, go to the “moon” you never see the stars in their cgi fake footage? Even in Genesis 1:6 it says He separated the waters Above from the waters below. There are so many scriptures. Btw we have studied the word first and then looked ourselves. Regular telescopes give you little detail. Just try and YouTube what I said and the footage of those stars. You will see the rippling effect of the water, which is why they look to twinkle. My whole life i believed the lie. Heck my favorite planet was venus. Btw the planets are all named after little “gods.” Your comment implies you talk down on those who know there is a firmament but you can believe, us who do know this, have done more research then the average space followers. God bless and I pray Gid opens your eyes to this awful deception. My first question was why would they lie?! It’s such a massive lie and so many would have to be on board! Well my cousins worked for nasa and just like anyone else, not at the top, they are just doi g what they are indoctrinated to do. Kinda like the medical field and Dr’s who think they know cv vaccines are good. But are they actually making these concoctions themselves? Aliens and the big bang will have a huge place in tribulation.

  6. Christian Koppl | April 27, 2021 at 7:55 am | Reply

    The religious always chime in with their inane rhetoric. Luckily they are becoming irrelevant in a world that is finally awakening from superstitious nonsense

    • I think there should be a pause after reading that..R.I.P that comment…

      So..just a few things..

      “Christian”, as a label or title is actually a derogatory term. Go…figure…”jesus” means “earth PIG and also “hail zeus”. Which this character that is “jesus” is also just a frame, if you will, of Cesar Borgia (I think that’s how it’s spelled). Christianity” is a false…cult..if you will. “god/lord” are just other terms for satan. All…..all..major holidays are derived from and are SYMBOLIC (pretty much doing the same thing for the same reason, intentionally or not) of pagan satanic “oooooo”…ritual or origin. Religion, period (meaning any and ALL….A.L.L…), are false.

      Irrelevant? Goodness gracious as much as that is SO true and at times VERY lonely, mentally and socially..it’s not easy…but I’d rather be the last one out and “irrelevant” then literally follow what’s TOLD and what the crowd agrees with.

      And well…

      If these MASS amounts of scripture, that….juuuusssst so happen to prove….again PROVE, NOT speculate or hypothesize or opinionate, what it states about the past and signs of future events, which…a lot have happened, to the T too..then…well.. I mean you kinda wanna lean that way…I mean seriously, I thought that…proof..not opinion or perspective (which as far as VISUAL perspective, is a great..BIBLICAL CREATION.. account proof in itself) was what mattered on pretty much…anything. Correct? And that well, people just hate liars and being lied to? ..Right? And oooooohhhh….myyyyyyyy…gooooooooodneeeessssss the AMPLE, ample, ampllllleeeeee, stacked up evidences and…if you could say, “VOLUMES” of PROOFS that these “things”, ARE laughing in our faces and have been deceiving us since birth. That these LIARS are…lying..

      I mean if it can’t be seen then it’s one of a few things, if not all;

      A. Cognitive dissonance.
      B. Refusal to be corrected.
      C. Have a brain fully locked in a massaging bubble of lies.
      D. Refusal to HONESTLY and as they say, OPEN MINDEDLY, do REAL in depth….research.
      E. Being arrogant enough and cocky to feel that you have a solid grasp on reality and knowledge, to NOT research something… first.

      I think these are the main reasons. Which actually all pretty much fall under cognitive dissonance. And you know, when someone..um..I’ll say in all fairness and respect..might..not know too much (as far as the truth goes). Or may not understand to ask the right questions. Or maybe NOT knowing and getting hit with something new and seemingly “absurd”, shies people away.
      But in the end though you know when someone might not know too much when,

      They don’t really have much but a condescending tone and putting someone\people down because of lack of information. Like a superiority complex. Or hey like in highschool, when the cool AWESOME popular kids, lol, would CLOWN and MAKE FUN OF and DOWNPLAY and look around for a laugh of recognition, to the……”SMART” kid…wwooooowwwww… Seems familiar…seems kind of like adult bullying especially when the crowd runs with it too and agrees…hm…I’d be reaching but could say even maybe unintentionally ganging up too with all those in agreement?

      Off the actual article though?

      Space is fake!
      The moon is see through! (Transparent)
      NASA, meaning deceiver anyway, is.. A ..lie, in totality.
      The “earth”….is NOT..moving.
      There are TWO separate lights (sun and moon). Nothing is reflecting anything.
      Aliens lol..are not real. (As THEY..explain origin and portray the likenesses and all that space odyssey nonsense).
      They have NEEEVVEERRRRRR landed on the moon..like ever. Lol.

      And..water can’t be ONE HUNDRED PERCENT…100%👈🏼👀…LEVEL…all of the time. (Ok MAYBE unless manipulated somehow). But for pete’s sake, water being WATER, is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT📣..level. And we apparently live on something that’s, give or take, SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT 75%👈🏼👀……THAT??????? I mean really?

      First thing is….

      Get over it..it’s a freaking lie..AND

      PROVABLE… So nothing…….AH AH AH….. NOTHING… else……matterssssssss. 😊

      Damn I’m good!!!!

      Jk….jk….

      Peace out be safe.

  7. To JY…. 🤔You are not alone 👽🛸

    🤣😂😅😆😄😁😊😐😶 👈🏼(Them)

    😬😬😬 Yyeeaaaaaaa……sure.
    Na but for real though..and as you fully know..👏🏼👏🏼already👏🏼👏🏼(🙌🏼praise Yah🙌🏼)…👈🏼”we”👉🏼 ESPECIALLY those of the..eh hem..🤔..TRUE😏👳🏽‍♂️12 Tribes…(🙌🏼praise Yah🙌🏼)😏😁…., most certainly “KNOW”, the wonder😲, the fascination😮, the GORGEOUS👀🥺😭😁beauty, the unexplainable 🤷🏽‍♂️ way things work🤓, the reasoning🤔👨🏽‍🏫❓ (I’d say in the realm of what He gave us in understanding), the awesome…. awesome… awesome and PERFECT… creation that Yah tossed together (lol).

    (🙌🏼Praise Yah🙌🏼)… That he didn’t allow some to stay or become like this.. 🧟🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🤯🧟🤯👉🏼(☪️☯️♈♎♐🔯✝️🕉️🕋🛐🕍🕌⛪⛩️📿👽🎃🎅🐰🆕🎉💝🦄👨‍👨‍👦👩‍👩‍👦👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩☦️✴️⭐🧙🧙🏽‍♂️🦠)👈🏼🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️🤯🧟🧟‍♂️🤯🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️..

    It’s then what we do with it that matters..🤦🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️..

    Anyway.. kan (“agreed”)..

    Wonder how fast these will get taken down🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤪😜😝

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