If the thought of all life on earth being obliterated by a collision with a gigantic space rock keeps you awake at night, this should put your mind at ease.
Instead of calling Bruce Willis and his friends, NASAÂ is hatching plans to prevent potential doomsday asteroids from smashing into our planet.
‘The Planetary Defense Coordination Office’ is being established and will monitor NASA’s efforts to identify and track any ‘near-earth objects’, reports The Huffington Post. If necessary, they will then liaise with national governments and federal agencies.
Having already looked into using nuclear weapons as a means to deflecting an asteroid away from Earth, the setting up of The Planetary Defense Coordination Office is the latest move made by the space agency in a bid to protect the planet from a catastrophic impact.
Lindley Johnson, the person responsible for the newly-formed department, explains that if attempts to deflect an asteroid out of Earth’s way prove unsuccessful, the PDCO would have to work to prepare people in potential impact zones.
‘The formal establishment of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office makes it evident that the agency is committed to perform a leadership role in national and international efforts for detection of these natural impact hazards, and to be engaged in planning if there is a need for planetary defense,’ he said in a NASA news release.
Relax. Everything’s under control.
