- LOS ANGELES - If professional stargazers catch sight of an asteroid that
might be on a crash course for Earth, the government wants them to keep
it quiet about it - for at least 72 hours.
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- The new procedures aim to avoid panic
from mistaken reports of doomsday, like the flurry of worry in March when
astronomers reported asteroid 1997XF11 could collide with Earth in 2028.
That was soon found to be erroneous.
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- Astronomers whose work is funded by the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration have agreed for now to keep
asteroid and comet discoveries to themselves for 48 hours while more detailed
calculations are made, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
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- The findings would then go to NASA, which
would wait another 24 hours before going public.
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- The new interim procedures are not an
attempt to hide anything but to make sure the information is accurate,
said scientist Donald Yeomans of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, whose calculations
helped dispel the fear asteroid 1997XF11 was headed straight for Earth.
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- "It is an attempt for the small
scientific community that tracks these objects to build a consensus, to
determine if an asteroid is a threat," he said.
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- Some scientists question the new push
from NASA, saying quick action from astronomers is needed to determine
an asteroid's danger.
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- "I don't think one should be secret
about these things," said Brian G. Marsden, the director of the International
Astronomical Union who made the announcement about 1997XF11's close pass
to Earth. "I think the public would be unhappy."
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- NASA officials were "very upset"
that they first heard of the 1997XF11 threat from reporters. "Almost
all of us found out by press release," Yeomans said. "Clearly
that is not the way it should work."
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- The first reports estimated it would
pass within 30,000 miles of the Earth's center and could possibly collide.
That distance was later recalculated at safe distances of 600,000 miles.
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- Some astronomers say releasing their
discoveries quickly and openly is critical. When a new asteroid or comet
is discovered, scientists need as many sightings as possible in order to
precisely plot its orbit and gauge how close it may pass to Earth.
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- In many cases, an asteroid gets lost
in the star field before its orbit is calculated.
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- Usually, new observations are immediately
reported to the Minor Planet Center, where it is posted on a Web site.
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- In June, the National Research Council
plans to convene astronomers and experts in risk assessment and hazard
management meeting to consider how best to release news
of potential disaster.
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- Worries of comet-delivered catastrophe
have caught the attention of Hollywood, which this summer delivers two
asteroid disaster movies: Deep Impact and Armageddon.
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