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Government response to the Report of the Task Force on potentially
hazardous Near Earth Objects 24 February 2001 Introduction
In
January 2000, following discussions in Parliament and approaches from members of
the public, the Government announced the setting up of a Task Force on
Potentially Hazardous Near Earth Objects. Dr
Harry Atkinson, formerly of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC)
and former Chairman of the European Space Agency's Council, was invited to lead
the Task Force. He was assisted by
Sir Crispin Tickell, British diplomat, and Professor David Williams, former
President of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The
Task Force was invited to make proposals to the Government on how the United
Kingdom should best contribute to international effort on Near Earth Objects,
and to advise the Government on what further action to take. After
extensive consultation with interested parties and the scientific community both
nationally and internationally, the Task Force published its report on 18
September 2000. The report is
available at http://www.nearearthobjects.co.uk.
The
Government would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the excellent
work the Task Force has done in getting to grips with this complex issue.
Their well-prepared report is the first comprehensive review, as far as
we are aware, of this challenging subject.
The report has been well received both in the UK and internationally and
has already played an important role in raising international awareness of the
potential threat. Having
considered the report, the Government’s view is that since the possible
dangers posed by Near Earth Objects are not limited to any one nation, an
international approach to the problem is essential.
Here in the UK we have a great deal to bring to an international approach
including:
The
Government takes the view that the first priority for the UK and its
international partners should be to find, track and characterize Near Earth
Objects in order to gain a greater understanding of the nature of the NEO
threat. The complex and
controversial issue of mitigating their effects can then be addressed. Many
of the report’s scientific recommendations on the need to find, track and
characterize Near Earth Objects (NEOs) are inter-related.
The UK’s Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, PPARC, has
undertaken to use the expertise available in its scientific community to produce
costed options analysing the most effective way of implementing the
telescope-based recommendations as a group (recommendations 1, 2, 4 and 5).
The
Government’s response to the individual recommendations of the Task Force’s
Report is set out below. This
document is also available through the British National Space Centre website, http://www.bnsc.gov.uk,
and through the Near Earth Objects website, http://www.nearearthobjects.co.uk.
Negotiations
with and between international institutions, and analysis of complex scientific
proposals, take time. The
Government therefore undertakes to provide a further report later this year on
its progress in implementing the response set out below. Response
to Recommendations
Recommendation 1
We recommend that the Government should seek partners, preferably in Europe, to
build in the southern hemisphere an advanced new 3 metre-class survey telescope
for surveying substantially smaller objects than those now systematically
observed by other telescopes. The telescope should be dedicated to work on Near
Earth Objects and be located on an appropriate site. In
November 2000 the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced that the
UK intended to join the European Southern Observatory (ESO) whose telescopes are
in the southern hemisphere. ESO has indicated that it is interested in exploring
with the UK the possibility that a 3 metre-class telescope could be made
available at its observing sites in Chile.
This could take the form of the new telescope envisaged in the
recommendation, or a modification of one of ESO’s existing 2-4 metre
telescopes. The latter option would
not necessarily compromise the telescope’s efficiency. PPARC
has offered to take the lead in preparing costed options for how this
recommendation could best be implemented, together with similar studies of
recommendations 2, 4 and 5. Decisions
on which options to take forward will need to be made against the background of
funding priorities. Recommendation 2
We recommend that arrangements be made for observational data obtained for other
purposes by wide-field facilities, such as the new British VISTA telescope, to
be searched for Near Earth Objects on a nightly basis. PPARC
will consider this recommendation as part of the analysis they will undertake of
telescope facilities related to NEOs. PPARC
will also address how survey data could be
made available to identify or track NEOs through the 'Virtual Observatory'
project. This project, called
AstroGrid, plans to give astronomers remote access through the Internet to a
number of UK and other European telescopes. Recommendation 3
We recommend that the Government draw the attention of the European Space Agency
to the particular role that GAIA, one of its future missions, could play in
surveying the sky for Near Earth Objects. The potential in GAIA, and in other
space missions such as NASA’s SIRTF and the European Space Agency’s
BepiColombo, for Near Earth Object research should be considered as a factor in
defining the missions and in scheduling their completion. Government
officials have already drawn the European Space Agency’s attention to the role
that GAIA and BepiColumbo could play in NEO survey. In
the case of GAIA, a comprehensive stellar survey telescope proposed for launch
no later than 2012, it has been established that additional data analysis
capability could be added into the specification of the mission to search for
moving objects such as asteroids. This
mission is currently in the design stage and it is expected that this capability
will be included in the implementation of the mission, should it prove feasible.
The specification of the BepiColumbo mission to Mercury (planned for
launch in 2009) has also been altered to include a dedicated NEO camera.
BepiColumbo should provide unique data on those asteroids whose orbits
are mostly interior to the earth’s orbit round the Sun. The
exact scheduling of these two missions depends on the decisions taken at the
European Space Agency Ministerial Council meeting in November 2001. The
UK Government has drawn NASA’s attention to the role its SIRTF mission could
play in NEO research. SIRTF is
expected to make a further contribution to identification and characterization
of NEOs. Accurate
orbit determination Recommendation 4
We recommend that the 1 metre Johannes Kapteyn Telescope on La Palma, in which
the United Kingdom is a partner, be dedicated to follow-up observations of Near
Earth Objects. Following
the Task Force’s Report, PPARC
has already discussed access to the Johannes Kapteyn Telescope with its
international partners (the use of the JKT is shared in particular with the
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research), and has received an
encouraging response. It has
started to develop a costed analysis with the Director of the Isaac Newton Group
of telescopes, in the Canary Islands. The
preparation of this analysis will form part of PPARC’s analysis of telescope
facilities related to NEOs. Composition
and gross properties Recommendation 5
We recommend that negotiations take place with the partners with whom the United
Kingdom shares suitable telescopes to establish an arrangement for small amounts
of time to be provided under appropriate financial terms for spectroscopic
follow-up of Near Earth Objects. PPARC
already supports a number of high scientific priority studies and observations
of NEOs through research grants and telescope time.
This is expected to continue. There
may be opportunities through the recent Spending Review settlement, in
particular through funds directed to information technology, to increase the
efficiency and effectiveness of these studies. PPARC
will consider this recommendation as part of its analysis of telescope
facilities related to NEOs. Recommendation 6
We recommend that the Government explore, with like-minded countries, the case
for mounting a number of coordinated space rendezvous missions based on
relatively inexpensive microsatellites, each to visit a different type of Near
Earth Object to establish its detailed characteristics. The
Government recognises the importance of characterizing NEOs and the value of
initiatives such as NASA's NEAR mission to the asteroid Eros.
The Government will explore through the European Space Agency the
possibility for future microsatellite rendezvous missions, emphasising the
potential of such missions to achieve both scientific and technological
objectives. Coordination
of astronomical observations Recommendation 7
We recommend that the Government – together with other governments, the
International Astronomical Union and other interested parties – seek ways of
putting the governance and funding of the Minor Planet Center on a robust
international footing, including the Center’s links to executive agencies if a
potential threat were found. The
Government welcomes the work done by the Minor Planet Centre and values its role
in coordinating and archiving data on NEOs.
NASA is currently pursuing a number of options to provide suitable
funding for the Minor Planets Centre and the Government will work together with
NASA, the International Astronomical Union, the European Space Agency and other
European partners to identify appropriate support to the international effort. In
addition, the Government will explore with ESA whether it has plans for similar
facilities in Europe. Studies
of impacts and environmental and social effects Recommendation 8
We recommend that the Government should help promote multi-disciplinary studies
of the consequences of impacts from Near Earth Objects on the Earth in British
and European institutions concerned, including the Research Councils,
universities and the European Science Foundation. The
Government has drawn the attention of the Research Councils to the Task
Force’s report and the importance of multi-disciplinary studies of this
nature. Funding for high quality
scientific proposals of interdisciplinary studies related to impact consequences
is already available through the Research Councils’ peer review process.
In addition, the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council makes a
small contribution to the European Science Foundation’s multidisciplinary
IMPACT programme, looking at “the nature of impacts and their impact on
nature”. Mitigation
possibilities
Recommendation 9
We recommend that the Government, with other governments, set in hand studies to
look into the practical possibilities of mitigating the results of impact and
deflecting incoming objects. There
is currently a scarcity of precise knowledge about the exact nature of the NEO
threat. Mitigating any impact by
deflection would appear to be a more attractive option than break-up, since the
latter might well result in a greater number of smaller NEOs to cope with
world-wide. Discussions of this global problem with the US Department of
Defense, NASA, ESA and the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) have
thus far provided no clear position on what should be done, although it is clear
that the highest priority lies in the provision of improved observation to
provide the maximum possible warning time.
Options for deflecting NEOs range from the launch of small spacecraft
many years in advance of the predicted impact date to rendezvous with the NEO to
gently “nudge” it away from its collision course, through to last minute
deflection using high energy explosive devices, the use of which would need to
be very carefully considered. In
relation to mitigation, the Home Office has studied the possible consequences of
emergencies of this sort, and contingency arrangements are already in place.
These involve local agencies (principally the police, fire and ambulance
with local authorities and health providers), who plan, train and exercise
together so that any response is co-ordinated.
An impact in the UK from a NEO would be dealt with under these
arrangements. If
the level of threat were identified as being significant (in time and
magnitude), specific arrangements would need to be put in place. These would fall under the aegis of the Civil Contingencies
Committee, a committee of Ministers and senior officials chaired by the Home
Secretary or senior Home Office official. Organisation
internationally
Recommendation 10
We recommend that the Government urgently seek with other governments and
international bodies (in particular the International Astronomical Union) to
establish a forum for open discussion of the scientific aspects of Near Earth
Objects, and a forum for international action. Preferably these should be
brought together in an international body. It might have some analogy with the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, thereby covering science, impacts,
and mitigation. The
Government agrees on the need for an international forum to discuss and
co-ordinate action on the NEO issue. The
Government welcomes an approach already received from the OECD with an offer to
assist in this area. Their approach
is particularly attractive as the OECD has the reach to pull in the main players
in space-related activity. Discussions
of the risk from NEOs might also contribute to OECD's project on Emerging
Systemic Risks, with which the UK is already associated. Organisation
in Europe
Recommendation 11
We recommend that the Government discuss with like-minded European governments
how Europe could best contribute to international efforts to cope with Near
Earth Objects, coordinate activities in Europe, and work towards becoming a
partner with the United States, with complementary roles in specific areas. We
recommend that the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory,
with the European Union and the European Science Foundation, work out a strategy
for this purpose in time for discussion at the ministerial meeting of the
European Space Agency in 2001. The
Government welcomes this recommendation.
The Science Programme of ESA has undertaken the task of convening a
European forum of “decision
makers” in the course of 2001 to discuss Europe’s role in this area.
In parallel, the European Science Foundation is preparing a report on
NEOs. The European Southern
Observatory is also keen to be involved in these discussions. Recommendation 12
We recommend that the Government appoint a single department to take the lead
for coordination and conduct of policy on Near Earth Objects, supported by the
necessary inter-departmental machinery. The
Government accepts this recommendation. The
British National Space Centre will take the lead in Whitehall on policy in this
area. BNSC is a successful example
of joined up Government which brings together those Government Departments and
Research Councils with an interest in civil space.
It includes the majority of Departments or Research Councils with an
interest in the NEO issue i.e. the Department of Trade and Industry, Office of
Science and Technology, Ministry of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Particle Physics and
Astronomy Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council, the Rutherford
Appleton Laboratory and DERA. As
the Department within Government with responsibility for civil emergencies, the
Home Office would take over as Lead Government Department in the event of civil
emergencies arising from an imminent impact or the aftermath of one. Consultation
between BNSC and the Home Office will take place through close working with the
Home Office Emergency Planning Division. In
addition coordination meetings will take place between interested Departments
and Research Councils. British
National Centre for Near Earth Objects Recommendation 13
We recommend that a British Centre for Near Earth Objects be set up whose
mission would be to promote and coordinate work on the subject in Britain; to
provide an advisory service to the Government, other relevant authorities, the
public and the media, and to facilitate British involvement in international
activities. In doing so it would call on the Research Councils involved, in
particular the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council and the Natural
Environment Research Council, and on universities, observatories and other
bodies concerned in Britain. See
the response to recommendation 14 below. Recommendation 14
We recommend that one of the most important functions of a British Centre for
Near Earth Objects be to provide a public service which would give balanced
information in clear, direct and comprehensible language as need might arise.
Such a service must respond to very different audiences: on the one hand
Parliament, the general public and the media; and on the other the academic,
scientific and environmental communities. In all of this, full use should be
made of the Internet. As a first step, the Task Force recommends that a
feasibility study be established to determine the functions, terms of reference
and funding for such a Centre.
At
this stage, the Government foresees that a key role for such a facility would be
to act as a showcase for the public on NEO issues, providing clear and balanced
information and hence assisting in the public understanding of science.
The Government will look into the options available for developing such a
centre. Other
Actions In
addition to the Government’s response to the Task Force’s Report, the UK is
taking a leading role in four related developments. The
NEO report and actions arising from it are to be discussed at the March meeting
of the Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee steering group.
The
report is also to be discussed at the Scientific
and Technical subcommittee of the UN
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in February.
At this meeting a joint symposium on Space Hazards will be held by the International
Scientific Union Committee on Space Research and the International Astronautical
Federation. NEOs will be discussed
along with other hazards such as man-made space debris. BNSC will participate
actively in this symposium to promote consideration of both issues. BNSC
is encouraging ESA to bring the NEO issue to the agenda of the ESA International
Relations Committee. BNSC
has raised the issue of NEOs within the European Space Agency's Working Group
for the Space Debris Network of Centres and will continue to report to that
group on progress. Finally,
the Government would once again like to pay warm tribute to the excellent work
of the Task Force, led by Dr Harry Atkinson, and to emphasize the
importance that it attaches to carrying this work forward. (c)
Crown Copyright. http://www.dti.gov.uk/ DTI/Pub /02/01/NP. ____________________________________________________________________ GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES MORE STUDIES INTO
“DEEP IMPACT” HAZARD A
STATEMENT BY SPACEGUARD UK Lord
Sainsbury, the science minister, announced this morning the government’s
decision to adopt some of the recommendations of the Near Earth Object Task
Force. Disappointingly he failed to
announce any substantive action beyond the establishment of further studies and
the holding of talks with various national and international bodies.
There is the possibility that these may provide the basis for a British
project at some time in the future, but a golden opportunity for the UK to take
a world lead is in danger of being lost. The
NEO Task Force report has significantly raised the profile of the impact hazard
worldwide, and the promise of British government action has given many
international organisations pause for thought.
The failure to follow this matter through is disappointing to all
concerned. Background On
18th September 2000, after a four-year campaign by the members and
associates of Spaceguard UK, the British government published the report of the
Near Earth Object Task Force. The
terms of reference were to confirm the nature of the impact hazard, identify
current UK activities, and make recommendations on future action. The
Task Force consulted with leading experts in the UK, Europe and the United
States, many of whom are members of Spaceguard UK, and investigated the
magnitude of the hazard, projects currently underway around the world and the
requirements for a comprehensive international programme to counter the threat
of cometary and asteroidal impacts. The
team produced a report of unprecedented clarity and wisdom in which the hazard
posed to the UK by impacts was verified. The
report emphasised the international nature of the hazard, and while there was
justifiable emphasis on international co-operation, the report also addressed
the question of national interest, and the requirement for an expert domestic
advisory service for the public, government, media and relevant authorities
regarding the environmental hazard posed by natural extraterrestrial objects.
The
British government's initiative has generated significant interest worldwide,
particularly in the United States and Europe.
It
is therefore disappointing that the science minister, Lord Sainsbury, has, while
acknowledging the advice of the experts, has failed to provide a foundation for
a substantive British contribution to the burgeoning global Spaceguard programme.
The actions announced today do not address some of the main
recommendations of the Task Force that would have allowed the UK to make a
significant contribution to the global Spaceguard effort.
As time passes and appreciation of the impact hazard increases pressure
will inevitably lead to the active adoption of the recommendations, and
Spaceguard UK will monitor the situation closely. To go
some way towards providing a credible British contribution to the growing global
Spaceguard programme in the short term, an independent Spaceguard Centre will be
established at the former Powys Observatory in mid-Wales.
The role of the Spaceguard Centre will be to provide an educational
resource for the public, schools and the media, at the same time acting as an
interface between the scientific community and the media to ensure the rapid and
accurate passage of information, thereby actioning the NEO Task Force's
recommendation that "a British Centre for Near Earth Objects be set up
whose mission would be to promote and coordinate work on the subject in Britain;
to provide an advisory service to the Government, other relevant authorities,
the public and the media, and to facilitate British involvement in international
activities ……... One of the most important functions of a British Centre for
Near Earth Objects be to provide a public service which would give balanced
information in clear, direct and comprehensible language as need might arise.
Such a service must respond to very different audiences: on the one hand
Parliament, the general public and the media; and on the other the academic,
scientific and environmental communities. In all of this, full use should be
made of the Internet." Spaceguard
UK has been providing such a service for the past four years, and will continue
to do so. . Spaceguard
UK is a non-governmental organisation that has campaigned for government action
since 1996 and precipitated the establishment of the Task Force in late 1999.
Funding will be sought from commercial and government sources, but is
most likely to be forthcoming from the US.
Contact: Jonathan
Tate Director,
Spaceguard UK Tel
(daytime)
01980 845923 Tel
(Evening)
01980 671380/1 Mobile
07968 195625 Fax
01980 671381 E-mail
Spaceguard@dial.pipex.com Spaceguard
UK Website: http://www.spaceguard.uk.tt
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