I thought this was an interesting article and quite relevent to this discussion.
(1) AUSTRALIA FAILS WORLD ON ASTEROIDS: SCIENTISTS
>From The Canberra Times, 5 February 2002
canberra.yourguide.com.au...
By SIMON GROSE, Science Editor
At least 90 scientists around the world believe the southern hemisphere is
Earth's soft underbelly when it comes to asteroid attack and Australia
should do something about it.
Joined by Australian scientific commentators Professor Paul Davies and Dr
Karl Kruselnicki, they wrote to the Prime Minister, John Howard, and several
senior ministers on January 28 urging the Federal Government to renew
financial support for the international Spaceguard program.
"A much greater search effort, including a larger telescope, is needed to
detect asteroids that pass through southern skies," the letter says.
The group, which includes astronomers and other scientists from 17
countries, says it would cost several million dollars to set up an incoming
asteroid watch facility in Australia but some of this might be covered by
contributions of equipment from the United States.
"Operational costs should be less than $1 million per year," the letter
says. "This is a highly cost-effective investment in the prevention of loss
of life and severe economic damage from asteroid impacts."
Australia contributed to the Spaceguard effort until 1996 when the
Government withdrew funding. Asteroid tracking is still undertaken at Siding
Springs Observatory, funded by the US in association with the Australian
National University, and NASA funds a NSW amateur astronomer to follow up
reports of asteroids.
More than a quarter of the signatories are from the US, followed by Russia
with 13 and Britain with 12.
Last month a spokesperson for the Science Minister, Peter McGauran, said the
Government was willing to reconsider the issue.
More information at www.spacegarduk.com [NOTE: despite the misspelling the
link is correct on the web page]
c2002 The Canberra Times
