NASA is looking for asteroids and wants you to join the hunt. But don't expect to be starring in a real-life version of \"Armageddon\" any time soon. <\/p>\n
NASA unveiled some of its plans for the Asteroid Initiative at a news conference today. <\/p>\n
While the engineers are working on the exact details of exploring and redirecting asteroids that travel a little too close to the Earth, others sent a call out to amateur scientists everywhere in what they're calling a \"Grand Challenge.\" The challenge's statement was seen in bright red letters throughout their presentation: \"Find all asteroid threats to human populations and know what to do about them.\" <\/p>\n
Jason Kessler, the program executive leading the Grand Challenge, said at today's conference that the project isn't in response to any specific asteroid hurtling towards Earth. <\/p>\n
\"This is a recognition of the world that we now live in,\" he said. \"We are more connected and better educated, and this is an opportunity to take advantage of all those aspects.\" <\/p>\n
Kessler sees the public being involved primarily through two different channels. The first is by getting people more involved in the act of spotting asteroids. He looks to GalaxyZoo, a project where users quickly categorize galaxies based on their shape and lighting, for inspiration. <\/p>\n
\"We have a large data set already associated with asteroids,\" he said. \"Are there ways that we can creatively bring people in to help with this problem?\" <\/p>\n
Asteroid Makes Close Call: 2012 DA14 to Passed Right By Earth in Feb <\/p>\n
The other channel Kessler sees may appeal to the more tech-savvy amateur scientists -- a Request for Information document, or RFI. In the document, NASA encourages all types of organizations to submit ideas on what they would like to see the Asteroid Initiative do. <\/p>\n
Robert Lightfoot, the associate administrator for NASA, admitted that this is very different direction than what the organization has done in the past. <\/p>\n
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NASA Challenges You to Fight Asteroids<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NASA is looking for asteroids and wants you to join the hunt. But don't expect to be starring in a real-life version of \"Armageddon\" any time soon. NASA unveiled some of its plans for the Asteroid Initiative at a news conference today Continue reading