There were some disheartening revelations at a Congressional review of warning systems and preparations for any potential large asteroid strike on the planet. The review on 19 March was prompted by the meteorite explosion over the Russian city of Chelabinsk earlier in March. At the review, the head of US Space Command, General William Shelton, testified that there had been no warning about the meteor’s arrival and it was NASA that informed him that the explosion was caused was a meteor only after 470kT equivalent explosion had occurred.
While NASA could give three weeks notice if a much larger and more dangerous meteor strike was on the way, when asked what could be done in that event to prevent such a strike, NASA Administrator, Charles Bolden had to admit that all that could be done would be to “pray.”
“In God we trust,” US dollar notes say. If only more of them could be used for asteroid defence.
