Killer Asteroid: NASA, FEMA Now Viewing It As A Major Concern

In the third of a series of joint exercises held by NASA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in El Segundo, California, the discussion centered on a low probability but high stakes situation: the possibility of a killer asteroid hitting the Earth. The two agencies held a simulation that broke down what would need to be done, while NASA has developed an alert system and process if it were to someday identify an asteroid of possibly deadly impact. 

Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in the capital, said that NASA is treating a killer asteroid as a very real, possible scenario. In fact, Zurbuchen said that it is not a matter of it, but when, such an instance would arise. Striking an optimistic tone, he added that the importance of preparing for a killer asteroid is underscored by the fact that for the first time in history, humans have the capacity to use observation, response planning, predictions and mitigation to avoid or lessen its impact.

How would the public be informed if a killer asteroid is indeed headed toward Earth? They certainly won't be kept in the dark, but the first to find out will be a group of not more than 12 scientists who will receive a text message or email with all the existing information about the asteroid, like trajectory and size, according to Science World Report.

These 12 scientists would then be involved in succeeding observations of the asteroid, given that preliminary information is bound to change. Once it is clear, however, that the killer asteroid would touchdown somewhere on the planet, NASA will send a message to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, who will then be responsible for releasing a statement to the public. 

NASA and FEMA conducted an exercise that simulated a possible scenario, four years from now, of a killer asteroid being discovered. The simulation provided the agencies with a preview of how it would analyze, collect and share information about the asteroid, as well as the possible effects of such information, according to Phys.org.