NASA will host a virtual briefing at 35:30 a.m. June 21 (AEST) to discuss a new summary of a recent tabletop exercise that simulated national and international responses to a hypothetical asteroid impact threat.
The fifth biennial Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise was held on April 2 and 3, 2024, at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland.
NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, in partnership with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and with the assistance of the US Department of State Office of Space Affairs, convened the tabletop exercise to inform and assess the US’s ability to respond effectively to the threat of a potentially hazardous asteroid or comet. This exercise supports NASA’s planetary defence strategy to protect our planet and continues the agency’s mission to innovate for the benefit of humanity.
The following participants will review the history and purpose of the exercise, the scenario encountered during this year’s simulation, and its findings and recommendations:
- Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer Emeritus, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Leviticus L.A. Lewis, FEMA detailee to NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, NASA Headquarters
- Terik Daly, planetary defense section supervisor, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland
While there are no known significant asteroid impact threats for the foreseeable future, hypothetical exercises like this one, which are conducted about every two years, provide valuable insights into how the United States could respond effectively if a potential asteroid impact threat is identified.
This year’s exercise was the first to include participation by NASA’s international collaborators in planetary defence and the first to have the benefit of actual data from NASA’s successful DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, the world’s first in-space technology demonstration for defending Earth against potential asteroid impacts.
NASA established the Planetary Defense Coordination Office in 2016 to manage the agency’s ongoing efforts in planetary defence.
Video of the briefing will stream live on NASA TV and NASA’s YouTube channe
