PLEASE NOTE:
*
CCNet 30/2001, 26 February 2001
-------------------------------
"The British government issued a response Saturday to a task
force
report on the threat posed by near-Earth asteroids and comets,
concurring
with many of the recommendations in the report but promising
little in
the way of immediate, concrete action. [...] Beyond the
four-point
package, however, the government response contained few specific
proposals
or plans."
--Jeff Foust, Spaceflight Now, 26 February 2001
"Dangerously large asteroids are thought to strike Earth
once every
1,000 years. But Science Minister Lord Sainsbury, who announced
the
measures at the weekend, is not committed to building the super
telescope. He has asked Britain's Particle Physics and Astronomy
Research
Council to cost the options outlined by the task force."
--Claire Breithaupt, Daily Post, 26 February 2001
(1) BRITISH GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO NEO TASK FORCE REPORT
Spaceflight Now, 26 February 2001
(2) CITY TO FIGHT SPACE INVADER
The Daily Post, 26 February 2001
(3) BRITAIN LEADS DEFENCE AGAINST ASTEROID IMPACT
The Sunday Telegraph, 25 February 2001
(4) BRITAIN ON ALERT FOR DISASTER FROM SPACE
The Observer, 25 February 2001
(5) AUSTRALIA LOSES ASTRONOMY INITIATIVE ON SPACEGUARD
Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
(6) SIR ARTHUR'S REACTION TO GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Sir Arthur C Clarke
(7) BRITISH NEO COMMUNITY IN BETTER POSITION THAN TWO YEARS AGO
Alan Fitzsimmons <A.Fitzsimmons@Queens-Belfast.AC.UK>
(8) CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM ABOUT UK GOVERNMENT ACTION?
Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
(9) MARK SONTER ON UK AND AUSTRALIAN SPACEGUARD INITIATIVES
Mark Sonter <sonter@camtech.net.au>
(10) UNDER THE BOTTOM LINE: UK GOVERNMENT SPENDING PRIORITIES
Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
(11) THE DON
Duncan Steel <D.I.Steel@salford.ac.uk>
(12) AND FINALLY: CLARIFICATION OF THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE, FOR
SPEAKERS
OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
E.P. Grondine <epgrondine@hotmail.com>
===========
(2) BRITISH GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO NEO TASK FORCE REPORT
From Spaceflight Now, 26 February 2001
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0102/26neo/
BY JEFF FOUST
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
The British government issued a response Saturday to a task force
report on
the threat posed by near-Earth asteroids and comets, concurring
with many of
the recommendations in the report but promising little in the way
of
immediate, concrete action.
Science Minister Lord Sainsbury, in an official response to a
report
published last September by a government-backed task force,
described what
he called a "four-point package" that leans heavily on
proposals for
international cooperation in the search for near-Earth objects
(NEOs) that
could impact the Earth.
"The potential threat of asteroids and other near-Earth
objects to our
planet is an international problem requiring international
action," Lord
Sainsbury said in a statement Saturday. "The UK through the
measures
announced today can play an important part in how the
international
community tackles this potential problem."
Those measures include plans by the UK's Particle Physics and
Astronomy
Research Council (PPARC) to review how British telescopes can be
used to
discover and monitor NEOs. In addition, Lord Sainsbury said that
the British
National Space Centre will be the government organization
responsible for
coordinating NEO policy in the UK.
The international action Lord Sainsbury referred to includes
plans by the
European Space Agency to hold a meeting on the subject this
summer to
discuss a broader European role in the NEO search. The
Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of 30 large
industrialized countries that includes many western European
countries,
Japan, and the United States, is also considering setting up a
forum to
discuss the NEO threat.
Beyond the four-point package, however, the government response
contained
few specific proposals or plans. One exception was a statement
that the UK
was discussing proposals with the European Southern Observatory,
a
multinational consortium Britain is in the process of joining, to
either
build a 3-meter telescope or refurbish an existing 2- to 4-meter
telescope
in Chile and devote it to NEO searches. Plans for such a
telescope would be
considered as part of PPARC's broader review of British
astronomical
resources.
The three-person task force, created by the British government
last year to
study the NEO threat, issued 14 recommendations dealing not only
with
searching and tracking NEOs but also "mitigation"
issues, such as ways to
deflect an object on an impact trajectory or dealing with the
aftermath of a
NEO impact. The mitigation recommendations were largely glossed
over in the
government response, saying it was premature to deal with them
until the NEO
population and any threat they pose is better understood.
"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 response noted. "The complex and
controversial issue of
mitigating their effects can then be addressed."
The lack of specific initiatives in the government response was
criticized
by some in Britain who had expected the government to take more
action.
"Today's response by Her Majesty's Government to the NEO
Task Force Report
is disappointing and falls short of what was widely
expected," said Benny
Peiser, a researcher at Liverpool John Moores University and
moderator of
the Cambridge Conference Network, an electronic mailing list
whose members
include many prominent NEO researchers worldwide. "It was
perhaps too
optimistic to hope that the Government would implement all of the
Task
Force's 14 recommendations. But the failure to announce any
significant
action -- or indeed any financial commitment -- is
unsatisfactory."
"Disappointingly he [Lord Sainsbury] failed to announce any
substantive
action beyond the establishment of further studies and the
holding of talks
with various national and international bodies," said
Jonathan Tate,
director of Spaceguard UK, an organization that promotes
continued study
into the NEO impact threat. "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."
Tate used the government response as an opportunity to announce
the
formation of an independent Spaceguard Centre, to be set up at
the former
Powys Observatory in 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," he
explained. The creation of such a center was included in the task
force¹s
recommendations, but the government in its response said only
that it would
look into options for establishing it.
"The establishment of an independent National Spaceguard
Centre, as
announced by Spaceguard UK today, ensures that the public will
remain
thoroughly informed on NEO research and planetary defense
issues," said
Peiser, endorsing the Spaceguard UK announcement. "It will
also continue to
lobby the Government in order to ensure that the vague promises
made today
will be followed by concrete action."
© 2001 Pole Star Publications
============
(3) CITY TO FIGHT SPACE INVADER
From The Daily Post, 26 February 2001
http://icliverpool.ic24.com/0100news/0100regionalnews/page.cfm?objectid=7539552&method=full
by Claire Breithaupt, Daily Post
LIVERPOOL could be at the forefront of a European fight to
protect the world
from asteroids.
The Government has launched a major early warning programme which
experts
believe will involve the creation of a giant telescope.
Other measures mentioned in the Government announcement include
monitoring
of space objects approaching Earth, preparations for evacuation
and
international co-operation to find methods of directing larger
objects away
from the planet.
They follow a report by a Government task force last year which
recommended
that the Government should seek partners to build an advanced
telescope -
possibly in the Southern hemisphere - to keep watch for
near-Earth objects.
Liverpool is the only city with the knowledge and the expertise
to build the
£10m super telescope, say experts.
John Moores University's Telescope Technologies Ltd (TTL) - a
subsidiary of
the university - is the only company in the UK capable of
producing such a
telescope, according to Spaceguard UK, a group of experts and
astronomers.
Now campaigners are calling on the Government to specify whether
it will go
as far as commissioning the high-powered telescope with a
three-metre mirror
and build it in Liverpool.
Spaceguard UK spokesman Dr Benny Peiser said: "If a new
telescope were to be
commissioned, Liverpool would be the place - that goes without
saying. We
are not competing with anyone else.
"It would appear from yesterday's announcement that Britain
is conditioning
its final decision on whether European partners agree to do it
with us, but
we feel that Britain should lead the way.
"TTL are the only people in the UK - and perhaps in Europe -
with the
expertise to build professional large-scale telescopes.
"Merseyside would become the leading producer of these
high-technology
telescopes across the world."
Dangerously large asteroids are thought to strike Earth once
every 1,000
years.
But Science Minister Lord Sainsbury, who announced the measures
at the
weekend, is not committed to building the super telescope.
He has asked Britain's Particle Physics and Astronomy Research
Council to
cost the options outlined by the task force.
The Government has said it will announce its decision later this
year.
Lord Sainsbury said: "The potential threat of asteroids and
other near-Earth
objects to our planet is an international problem requiring
international
action. The UK can play an important part in how the
international community
tackles this potential problem."
© 2001 Trinity Mirror Digital Media Limited or its licensors.
MODERATOR'S NOTE: Interesting, isn't it? Or how often does it
happen that an
asteroid story makes the frontpage headline in The Daily Post the
morning
after Liverpool FC won a Cup final? :-)
=============
(4) BRITAIN LEADS DEFENCE AGAINST ASTEROID IMPACT
From The Sunday Telegraph, 25 February 2001
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=gjwllfku&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/25/nast25.html
By Robert Matthews, Science Correspondent
BRITISH scientists are to take the lead in international action
against the
threat of asteroid impacts.
Government plans announced yesterday will commit the UK to a
monitoring
programme to spot asteroids on a potential collision course with
the Earth.
Last year a scientific task force urged action after drawing
attention to
the threat of half-mile-wide chunks of rock smashing into the
Earth, causing
hundreds of millions of deaths. Such impacts are thought to
occur, on
average, every 100,000 years.
The Near Earth Object (NEO) Task Force called for the building of
a
telescope dedicated to finding asteroids on course for the Earth,
and the
Government has accepted the need for a three-metre telescope
capable of
detecting even relatively small rocks.
Lord Sainsbury, the science minister, said yesterday that the
Government was
seeking to give Britain a key role in tackling the global threat.
He said:
"This is clearly an international issue and I think that
what we can do is
provide a lead." As well as committing the UK to the
monitoring programme,
Lord Sainsbury said that the Government would draw up plans for
minimising
casualties in the event of an NEO impact.
The minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We will be
going ahead
with the monitoring programme and putting into place facilities
to
communicate with the public. If it is not a large object, there
is always a
possibility of moving people from the area that it is going to
hit on the
Earth and we do potentially have the opportunity to deflect
it."
Scientists pressing for action gave the plans a cautious welcome.
Duncan
Steel, an NEO expert at Salford University, said: "This
means that Britain
is setting the international ball rolling on this issue but it's
disappointing that no action is being taken immediately on
setting up the
monitoring site."
Astronomers believe that they have identified only about half the
many
hundreds of half-mile-wide asteroids. According to Dr Steel, it
will take
another 15 years at current rates to find 90 per cent of all the
half-mile-wide NEOs and at least 25 years to locate the rest.
Dr Steel said: "What's been announced is a start, but back
in 1992 it was
clear that what we need is a global network of six big telescopes
- three in
each hemisphere - that can find these objects and track them long
enough to
work out their orbits." Other astronomers cautioned that the
Government had
tied its commitment to the monitoring programme to funding
priorities. One
said: "At least the impact issue seems to have lost some of
the giggle
factor."
Lembit Opik, the Liberal Democrat MP who launched the campaign to
have the
asteroid danger taken seriously in March 1999, welcomed the
Government
announcement: "[It] puts the UK at the forefront of asteroid
impact
avoidance. This is a very exciting time for British science in
general, and
British astronomy in particular."
The Government's commitment came a day after American scientists
unveiled
plans to build a giant telescope to search for threatening
asteroids. Known
as the Large-Aperture Synoptic Survey Telescope, the
6.5-metre-class optical
telescope would cost about £100 million and detect 90 per cent
of NEOs in a
range of sizes right down to those just a few hundred metres
across
Copyright 2001, The Daily Telegraph
========
(5) BRITAIN ON ALERT FOR DISASTER FROM SPACE
From The Observer, 25 February 2001
http://observer.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,442728,00.html
Robin McKie, Science Editor
BRITAIN is to spearhead a European programme aimed at protecting
Earth from
global destruction caused by asteroid collisions. Science
Minister Lord
Sainsbury yesterday revealed that the Government takes the threat
to our
planet so seriously that it is to implement a series of measures
to save the
world.
The proposals include:
* Fitting all European probes with asteroid detectors;
* Building a giant telescoope dedicated to hunting these objects;
* Fitting existing telescopes with special asteroid detection
software;
* Creating an international flotilla of probes for studying the
nearby
asteroids.
'The potential threat of asteroids to our planet is an
international problem
requiring international action,' said Sainsbury. He pledged to
implement
many recommendations of last year's report of the Near Earth
Object Task
Force.
However, the announcement has triggered a bitter
inter-departmental row
among civil servants. Although scientists, backed by the
Department of Trade
and Industry, have pledged to find errant asteroids, the Home
Office has
refused to implement any extra measures to protect the nation
against such
astronomical intruders.
'The original task force report warned that the UK faced
particular danger
from tidal waves that would be triggered by large rocks plunging
into the
Atlantic or North Sea, and recommended ways to protect the
country from such
inundation,' said one civil servant.
'But all the Home Office has said is that it already has
"contingency
arrangements in place". In other words, when Armageddon
arrives all we will
able to do is send a policeman on a bicycle. It is utterly
ridiculous.'
The threat of an asteroid collision is now taken seriously by
most
astronomers, who point out that our planet is struck regularly by
objects
from outer space. The best recorded of these events occurred in
1908 when a
small asteroid, about 300ft in diameter, exploded high above the
Tun guska
river valley in Siberia, producing a brilliant blue fireball that
knocked
people off their feet 40 miles away, and flattened millions of
trees.
It is thought similar-sized objects hit Earth every 100 years.
Larger
objects are fortunately rarer. For example, the asteroid that
destroyed the
dinosaurs 65 million years ago was probably a few miles in
diameter. The
event known as The Great Dying, in which 90 per cent of marine
species and
70 per cent of land animals were killed 250 million years ago, is
now
thought to have been caused by an eight-mile-wide asteroid
plunging into
Earth.
With the development of space rockets and nuclear bombs, however,
Earth now
has a chance to avoid such impacts. To date, only the United
States has
considered the risk serious enough to launch Near Earth Object
surveys. 'I
think there will be great relief in the United States that
we are joining in,' said one UK astronomer. 'They were beginning
to feel a
bit silly about being the only ones to take the asteroid threat
seriously.'
The UK initiative has already had an impact on European space
programmes. It
has been decided that two missions, the Bepi Colombo mission to
Mercury, and
Gaia, a probe to map stars, should be fitted with
asteroid-spotting
telescopes.
However, Sainsbury has not committed himself to the main
recommendation of
the task force, which was to build a three-metre
asteroid-spotting
telescope, at a probable cost of more than £10 million. Instead,
he has
asked Britain's Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
to appoint a
senior astronomer to cost the options outlined by the task force.
The Government is to begin talks with other members of the
European Space
Agency to build a series of space probes that would land on
asteroids and
study their structure. 'The crucial point is to know what
asteroids are made
of,' said a British National Space Centre official.
'Some may just be great piles of ash or stone. If you tried to
nudge them
off course with a nuclear bomb, you could end up spreading the
thing all
over the place and actually make things worse
Copyright 2001, The Observer
==========
(6) AUSTRALIA LOSES ASTRONOMY INITIATIVE ON SPACEGUARD
From Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
This is a sad day for Australian astronomy.
In a press release dated 19 September 2000
http://www4.tpg.com.au/users/tps-seti/spacegd3.html#pr000919
we warned that
the UK government was looking at options for implementing the
recommendations of its Near Earth Object Task Force and that, if
Australia
did not show an interest, the UK would likely locate a new
Spaceguard
telescope in Chile.
The UK government has just released its response to the Task
Force report
http://www.nearearthobjects.co.uk/government_response.cfm.
Although a final
decision has not yet been made on the southern hemisphere
telescope the
response states:
"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."
There now appears to be no prospect of the Spaceguard telescope
being
located in Australia. This is likely to have grave repercussions
for other
fields of astronomy in Australia.
The Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) has been in operation in
Australia
for decades and will no doubt continue its high standard of
astronomy. The
AAO astronomers will likely put on a brave face over this UK
announcement
but, in the long-term, it is inevitable that the UK will wind
down its
contribution to AAO as it puts more of its resources into ESO.
The Australian government's indifference to the asteroid threat
is
jeopardising the future of Australian astronomy as well as making
Australia
a pariah nation in the eyes of the international scientific
community (these
words were recently used by author and scientist Paul Davies to
describe the
Australian government's dismal record on Spaceguard)
CONTACT DETAILS
Michael
Paine
NSW
Coordinator
The
Planetary Society Australia Volunteers
Phone 02
94514870 Fax 02 99753966 email mpaine@tpgi.com.au
Additional
information:
The
British report can be downloaded from
http://www.nearearthobjects.co.uk
The main conclusions
of the report are:
* Impacts
by asteroids and comets present a real and significant risk to
humans and
other life on Earth
* Means
now exist to avoid or reduce the fatalities caused by such
impacts
but only if the threatening objects are detected well in advance
of the
collision.
* Search
programs should give priority to "Near Earth Asteroids"
(NEAs)
down to
300 m diameter rather than the 1 kilometer goal adopted by NASA.
*
Earth-based telescope systems can carry out most of the necessary
detection
and follow-up work but they will need to be larger than those
of current
NEA detection systems.
* Britain
should contribute to a major new telescope facility in the
Southern
Hemisphere to make up for the lack of a professional search
effort in
southern skies.
More
information about the asteroid threat is available from The
Planetary
Society Australian Volunteers website:
http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/tps-seti/spacegd.html
THIS
WEBSITE IS LISTED AS A USEFUL REFERENCE IN THE BRITISH REPORT.
The woeful
responses from the Australian government on this issue are at:
http://www4.tpg.com.au/users/tps-seti/spacegd3.html
========
(7) SIR ARTHUR'S REACTION TO GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
From Sir Arthur C Clarke
Dear Benny,
Exhausted after whole day with Buzz and Lois Aldrin - hours of
press
conferences.
Now getting two or three requests a day and really have nothing
new
to say on Spaceguard (though I wish they'd mention where
the name
originated!) Really the whole situation is summed up with Larry
Nivens' "The
Dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space
programme." It
will serve us right if we suffer the same fate.
All best,
Arthur 26 Feb. `01.
===========
(8) BRITISH NEO COMMUNITY IN BETTER POSITION THAN TWO YEARS AGO
From Alan Fitzsimmons <A.Fitzsimmons@Queens-Belfast.AC.UK>
Dear Benny,
While I understand some of Jonathan Tate's disappointment over
the UK
government response, particularly in not funding a dedicated new
survey
facility, I think that he is being a bit pessimistic.
First, as Duncan Steel points out in his letter, the government
has
undertaken to raise the issue with other European governments
through
various routes. Recommendations 1,3,6 and others of the Taskforce
requested
as much.
Second, it is hardly surprising that the government did not just
announce a
big pot of cash for telescopes on Saturday. While the Taskforce
recommended
the use of already funded/built telescopes, they were not asked
to provide
fully costed options for doing so. I may be wrong, but
I do not know of any Western government who would hand over a
large amount
of cash without seeing a full justification for that amount. That
the
government has asked PPARC to provide such a costing may actually
mean they
are prepared to make such monies available.
To my mind, the most disappointing thing is that it is not clear
whether the
final recommendation, to perform a feasibility study of the
potential remit
and funding of a UK NEO Centre, is going ahead. Although it may
be just poor
wording, a "look into the options available"
may not be the same as a full-scale feasibility study. However,
even here
the summary of the response clearly states that the
"measures
include...setting up a UK facility to provide information and
education on
NEOs". Hopefully this will become more clear in the near
future.
All in all, I believe that the future in the UK is rosier than
some people
suggest. The UK position today is much better than even two years
ago,
thanks to the continuing efforts of people like Mark Bailey at
Armagh
Observatory, lobbying groups such as Spaceguard UK, and of course
the
Taskforce. As with Duncan, I don't think its going to end here.
Best Wishes,
Alan Fitzsimmons
____________________________________________________________________________
___
Dr. Alan
Fitzsimmons
Tel: 02890-273124
APS
Division
Fax: 02890-438918
Dept. of Pure & Applied
Physics
e-mail: a.fitzsimmons@qub.ac.uk
Queen's University of
Belfast WWW: http://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/~af/
Belfast BT7 1NN
Northern Ireland
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
=========
(9) CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM ABOUT UK GOVERNMENT ACTION?
From Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
Dear Benny,
Duncan Steel, CCNet Special: "One must have optimism that
this will lead
eventually to action being taken at the appropriate level, given
the
magnitude of the NEO impact hazard."
Duncan has remarkable optimism given his experience in Australia
("Spaceguard Australia" was terminated by the
Australian government in
1996).
The lesson here is that we cannot just present facts - the
politicians need
to be lobbied so they become uncomfortable with inaction. Not
that we have
been particularly successful in Australia with this approach -
the Howard
government is proving to be extremely insular to public
opinion on many issues (how odd - they call themselves Liberals
but my
dictionary lists illiberal as a synonym for "insular").
I agree that we need an international approach to a global
problem. The
difficulty is finding a mechanism for getting the issue raised
and acted on
at an international political level. Not being
"science", "defence" or
"humanitarian", it does not seem to fit into an
existing pidgeonhole (also
the problem at a national level).
regards
Michael Paine
==========
(10) MARK SONTER ON UK AND AUSTRALIAN SPACEGUARD INITIATIVES
From Mark Sonter <sonter@camtech.net.au>
Both the Australian government and the UK government responses
are less than
one might have hoped for (particularly so the Australian). But
their
responses are not unexpected, and the pollies will mostly be
driven by (a)
the advice of their advisors, (b) legal necessity, (c) major
voter demand
requiring response. (This is Jay Tate's sermon.) And the advisors
would have
taken 'soundings' of the mainstream astronomy community scale of
interest,
which is still not much. In fact, if the astronomy community
really wanted a
change, surely it would come about....Anyway, there's not much
point beating
our breasts over it.
As several of you guys know better than me, governments are no
longer the
secure source of patronage they once were. That means we have to
search
elsewhere.
Question is, what other avenues are available? I have asked
earlier, what's
the chance of a volunteer organisation making real contributions,
either to
NEO search activities or to other related studies? (such as
Michael Paine's
tsunami work, and his website; or Jay Tate's decision to go it
alone with a
private UK Spaceguard, or the meteor observer work of years gone
by) What
about an e-mail server serving all students of any aspect of the
NEO ident/
space mission / characterize / deflect / impact analysis / civil
defence
arena? -Well, I know that's what Benny does, but I guess
the question is,
how does one expand it, make it more integrative, more solutions
oriented?
With e-mail, one could contemplate an e-conference following up
on the 1995
Earth Impact Threat Conference....What other sources of patronage
might
there be? (eg., international corporations: some are as big
economically as
small to medium size nation states) If / when we get interest in
space
mining ignited, then funding troubles will go away. What about
media
companies? -I sometimes think Benny's Peisergrams could almost
make a
scientific thriller serial script!
I apologize, because I'm sure you have all gone through this
train of
thought before, but can we have a brainstorm?? -fewer
negative thoughts,
albeit understandable, and more 'possibility thinking'!
Just had to put in my 5 cents' worth!
Mark Sonter
===========
(11) UNDER THE BOTTOM LINE: UK GOVERNMENT SPENDING PRIORITIES
From Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
Dear Benny,
While checking for a Times report on the NEO Task Force
announcement I came
across the following. Nice to see the UK government getting its
spending
priorities sorted out! Maybe there should be a worldwide levy on
executive
payouts - say 5% goes towards funding Spaceguard. Then we would
be swimming
in money.
Mike
BBC spends £2m to pay off bosses
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/02/25/stinwenws02018.html
THE BBC has spent up to £2m in licence money on a boardroom
clear-out to
paving the way for Greg Dyke's own team. Three directors who were
in
competition with Dyke for the post of director-general are among
five
executives granted packages of up to £400,000 each for leaving.
==========
(12) THE DON
From Duncan Steel <D.I.Steel@salford.ac.uk>
Dear Benny,
Those readers interested in cricket (doubtless the majority of
CCNet
subscribers) will have been sad to hear of the death of Sir
Donald Bradman,
the greatest batsman of all time. Despite the fact that all three
of use are
'poms' by birth (and thus originate from Australia's great
cricketing
enemy), a few years back Brian Marsden, Gareth Williams and
myself were
pleased to suggest that The Don's name should be attached to an
asteroid.
(2472) Bradman perpetuates his memory amongst cricket-loving
astronomers
(and maybe astronomy-loving cricketers too).
Duncan Steel
=========
(13) AND FINALLY: CLARIFICATION OF THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE, FOR
SPEAKERS
OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
From E.P. Grondine <epgrondine@hotmail.com>
Hello Benny -
As I revealed in an earlier note,
in a previous life I used to cover
the space program of the Soviet Union and then of its successor
states. The
culmination of my work in this area was to have been a history of
cosmonautics, but a little over 3 years ago I seem to have become
side-tracked into studying the obscure subject of stuff from
space hitting
the Earth and killing extremely large numbers of people...
While assembling this history I had to
wade through documents and
pronouncements of many governments, including not only those the
United
States, but also those of the Central Committees of both the
Soviet Union
and China (you wanna talk about bureaucratese, hoo boy), as well
as a few
select European documents, including some from Nazi Germany.
While scientists in other countries
where English is not the primary
language have bureaucrats who work in bureaucracies speaking
bureaucratese
all of their own, the dialects of which I'm quite sure these
scientists are
all too completely familiar with, I'm also quite sure that
they're not fully
fluent in that particular dialect of bureaucratese used by the UK
government. Thus I thought that perhaps it would speed things
along if I
could provide them with an easier to understand version of the
Blair
government's response to the NEO Task Force's
recommendations. It is clear
that the government does not understand quite what they are going
to have to
do yet, and their response meandered, so it has also been
necesary as well
to slightly re-organize their response in order to make it
clearer.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON
POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS
NEAR EARTH OBJECTS
[ANNOTATED FOR SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE]
24 February 2001
E.P. Grondine epgrondine@hotmail.com
[THE ANNOUCEMENT OF THE RESPONSE AND ITS MAIN POINT]
Lord Sainsbury announced today (24 February) the Government
response to the
report of the Near Earth Objects Task Force, chaired by Dr Harry
Atkinson.
In publishing the Government's response, Lord Sainsbury said,
"The
Government endorses the view of the Task Force that since the
possible
dangers posed by Near Earth Objects are not limited to any one
nation, an
international approach is essential.". [THIS GOVERMENT HAS
NO INTENTION OF
PICKING UP THE ENTIRE BILL FOR THIS EFFORT ALL BY ITSELF.]
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. [THERE WERE A
COUPLE OF
MAJOR HOLLYWOOD MOVIES, "ARMAGEDDON" AND "DEEP
IMPACT", WHICH SHOWED LARGE
NUMEBRS OF PEOPLE BEING KILLED BY IMPACT, AND IT TURNED OUT THAT
THEY
WEREN'T ENTIRELY SCIENCE FICTION. THEN, DUE TO SOME INADEQUATE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
OF ASTRONOMICAL CALCULATIONS, FOR SEVERAL DAYS IT LOOKED LIKE THE
EARTH WAS
GOING TO GET SMACKED AGAIN QUITE SOON. THE VOTERS WERE BEGINNING
TO GET
UPSET, AND FINALLY A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT WHO IS A RELATIVE OF
ERNST OPIK
MANAGED TO GET A GOVERNMENT TASK FORCE SET UP.]
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. [SO AS TO DELAY THE NECESSITY OF
MAKING ANY
RESPONSE OR OF HAVING TO TAKE THE MATTER SERIOUSLY, WE FOUND
SEVERAL PEOPLE
WITH LIMITED EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD, SO THAT THE ASTRONOMERS
WOULD HAVE TO
EDUCATE THEM BEFORE THE TASK FORCE COULD ISSUE ANY REPORT.] 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. [THE RESULT WAS THAT
THE TASK
FORCE SAID THAT THERE REALLY IS A PROBLEM, BUT WE DIDN'T LIKE
THEIR
SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM, SO WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT
IT.]
Their well-prepared report is the first comprehensive review, as
far as we
are aware, of this challenging subject. [THE AMERICANS AND THE
RUSSIANS
DIDN'T INVITE US TO THE FIRST SPE MEETINGS.] 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.
[HEY - WE WEREN'T THE ONLY GOVERNMENT SURPRISED TO FIND OUT WE
HAD A
PROBLEM.]
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.
[IN CASE YOU
DIDN'T UNDERSTAND US WHEN WE TOLD YOU THIS THE FIRST TIME, THIS
GOVERNMENT
HAS NO INTENTION OF PICKING UP THE BILL FOR DEALING WITH THIS
PROBLEM ALL BY
ITSELF.]
THE TASK FORCE'S RECOMMENDATI0N 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.
OUR RESPONSE - There is currently a scarcity of precise knowledge
about the
exact nature of the NEO threat. [WE DIDN'T LIKE WHAT THE EXPERTS
TOLD US, SO
WE LISTENED TO PEOPLE LESS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM SO WE COULD
FUDGE THE
NUMBERS.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - 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. [AMAZING - THE BOFFINS ACTUALLY
THOUGHT THAT WE
MIGHT SPEND MONEY DEFINING THIS PROBLEM. IN FACT, AS LONG AS NO
ONE KNOWS
ANYTHING ABOUT IT, THERE ISN'T ANY PROBLEM - AND WITH NO PROBLEM,
THERE
ISN'T ANYTHING WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO.]
Funding for high quality scientific proposals of
interdisciplinary studies
related to impact consequences is already available through the
Research
Councils' peer review process. [IF THESE PEOPLE WANT MORE MONEY,
THEY ARE
GOING TO HAVE TO GET IT FROM EACH OTHER. LET THEM FIGHT AMONGST
THEMSELVES -
THAT OUGHT TO HOLD THEM UP FOR A WHILE.]
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".
[WE'RE ALREADY SENDING MONEY ACROSS THE CHANNEL - WHY THE BLAZES
DON'T THEY
TRY AND GET SOME OF THAT BACK?]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - 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. [YES, WE WILL EXAMINE THE
OPTIONS,
AND WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER, WE WILL BUILD THE CENTRE ON THE ICE,
IF ITS
FEASABLE. WHAT PART OF THIS DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND: IF THERE IS NO
PROBLEM,
WE DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT - AND HOPEFULLY THE VOTERS
WILL FORGET
'ARMAGEDDON' AND 'DEEP IMPACT' BY THE TIME WE GET AROUND TO NOT
DOING
ANYTHING, OR AT LEAST BY THE NEXT ELECTION.]
[CONTINUING WITH THE RESPONSE TO ITEM 8 - RECOMMENDATIONS ON
MITIGATION ]
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. [WHILE WE DON'T ACTUALLY
KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT NUCLEAR CHARGES OR ASTEROID OR COMETARY
COMPOSITION, WE
DEFINITELY DO WANT THE VOTERS TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS GOING TO BE
POSSIBLE TO
DIVERT ONE OF THESE THINGS WITHOUT USING H-BOMBS.]
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, [YOU CAN'T
BLAME US
ENTIRELY, SINCE NO ONE ELSE KNOWS WHAT TO DO EITHER.], although
it is clear
that the highest priority lies in the provision of improved
observation to
provide the maximum possible warning time [EVERYONE PRETTY MUCH
AGREES THAT
AT LEAST
WE CAN GIVE THE ASTRONOMERS SOME MONEY, WITHOUT HAVING THE
ANTI-NUKE
GREENIES P***ING ON OUR DOORSTEPS].
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 [WE
DON'T WANT TO SCARE
PEOPLE, SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PRETEND WE AREN'T GOING TO
HAVE TO USE
NUCLEAR CHARGES TO STOP ONE OF THESE THINGS], through to last
minute
deflection using high energy explosive devices, the use of which
would need
to be very carefully considered. [HOPEFULLY THIS CONSIDERATION
WILL BE DONE
BY SOME OTHER GOVERNMENT THAN OUR OWN AT SOME TIME WELL INTO THE
FUTURE -
GOD KNOWS WE HAVE ENOUGH TO DO ALREADY].
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.
[WE'RE GOING TO
ASSUME THAT ANY IMPACT WHICH OCCURS WILL BE SMALL ENOUGH THAT
THERE WILL BE
POLICEMEN, FIREMEN, HEALTH WORKERS, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS LEFT
ALIVE AFTERWARDS - AND IF THERE AREN'T, WELL IN THAT CASE IT
SIMPLY WON'T BE
OUR PROBLEM THEN, WILL IT?]
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. [IF THE PEOPLE SHOULD SOMEHOW LEARN THAT ONE OF
THESE
THINGS IS COMING, WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT THEM RIOTING.]
[BRITISH TELESCOPES]
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. [WHILE WE REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA AT ALL
HOW TO GO
ABOUT DEVELOPING THE NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVE DEVICES THAT ARE GOING TO
BE NEEDED
TO STOP ONE OF THESE THINGS, WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO TALK
ABOUT IT, AND
MAYBE IF WE GIVE THE ASTRONOMERS SOME MONEY THAT WILL SHUT THEM
UP.]
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).
[THANKFULLY THE
BOFFINS ON THE TASK FORCE GAVE US OPTIONS, AND WHILE PPARC IS
FIGURING OUT
WHICH ONE OF THEM IS THE CHEAPEST ONE, WE WON'T HAVE TO SPEND ANY
MONEY AT
ALL.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - 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. [IF WE CAN MODIFY AN EXISTING TELESCOPE, IT MIGHT BE
CHEAPER.
WHO CARES THAT IT WON'T BE EFFICIENT FOR NEO SEARCHES?]
The latter option would not necessarily compromise the
telescope's
efficiency. [IF WE DO USE THIS TELESCOPE FOR NEO DETECTION, WE
CERTAINLY
DON'T WANT TO P*** OFF THE ASTRONOMERS WHO ARE CURRENTLY USING
IT.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - PPARC will consider this recommendation as part of
the
analysis they will undertake of telescope facilities related to
NEOs. [WE
DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS THE CHEPAEST ONE YET.]
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. [NOT
ONLY DO WE
NOT INTEND TO PAY FOR THE TELESCOPES BY OURSELVES, WE ALSO
CERTAINLY HAVE NO
INTENTION OF PAYING THE SALARIES OF THE ASTRONOMERS WHO ARE GOING
TO BE
LOOKING FOR THESE THINGS.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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 an factor in defining the
missions and in
scheduling their completion.
OUR RESPONSE - Government officials have already drawn the
European Space
Agency's attention to the role that GAIA and BepiColumbo could
play in NEO
survey. [MAYBE THE FRENCH WILL PICK UP PART OF THE BILL.]
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.
[SINCE THE
FRENCH HAVE ALREADY SOLD AN ARIANE TO LAUNCH GAIA, MAYBE WE COULD
USE IT TO
DO THE WORK. IN THIS CASE WE MIGHT NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING
UNTIL
SEVERAL YEARS FROM NOW.]
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. [THEY CAN'T
SAY WE'VE
DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING: THE FRENCH SOLD ANOTHER ROCKET, AND AT
LEAST WE
MANAGED TO GET THAT PAYLOAD MODIFIED TO DO SOME USEFUL WORK IN
FINDING THESE
THINGS.]
The exact scheduling of these two missions depends on the
decisions taken at
the European Space Agency Ministerial Council meeting in November
2001. [ON
THE OTHER HAND, MAYBE WE WON'T EVEN HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING AT ALL!]
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. [WE SUGGESTED TO
NASA THAT
THEY DO SOMETHING.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - 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.
[MAYBE THE
DUTCH WILL PICK UP PART OF THE BILL.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - PPARC already supports a number of high scientific
priority
studies and observations of NEOs through research grants and
telescope time.
[DAMMIT, WE'RE ALREADY SPENDING MONEY ON THESE THINGS.] This is
expected to
continue. [AND THEY SHOULD JUST BE THANKFUL THAT WE DON'T CUT
THAT OFF.]
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. [IF THEY WANT MORE
MONEY,
THEY CAN FIGHT IT OUT AMONGST THEMSELVES.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - The Government welcomes the work done by the Minor
Planet
Centre and values its role in coordinating and archiving data on
NEOs.
[HOORAY! SOMEONE IS DOING SOMETHING, AND WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR
IT.]
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 CASE YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND US THE FIRST TIME, NOT
ONLY WILL WE
NOT PICK UP THE BILL ALL BY OURSELVES FOR THE TELESCOPES, OR FOR
THE
ASTRONOMER'S SALARIES, IN ADDITION WE ARE NOT GOING TO PAY ALL BY
OURSELVES
FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES AND COMPUTERS FOR THESE
PEOPLE.]
In addition, the Government will explore with ESA whether it has
plans for
similar facilities in Europe. [MAYBE THE ITALIANS WANT TO TAKE
SOME OF THEIR
ASTRONOMERS OFF THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT ROLLS.]
[BRITISH SPACECRAFT]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - The Government recognises the importance of
characterizing
NEOs and the value of initiatives such as NASA's NEAR mission to
the
asteroid Eros. [THE US ROCKET MANUFACTURERS ALREADY HAVE SOLD
ROCKETS TO
NASA FOR THIS, SO LET NASA DO IT.] 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. [LET'S SEE IF THE FRENCH
WANT TO
SELL ANY ROCKETS - IF THEY DO, MAYBE WE CAN SELL THEM A
SPACECRAFT.]
[WHAT WE DID]
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.
OUR RESPONSE - The Government accepts this recommendation. The
British
National Space Centre will take the lead in Whitehall on policy
in this
area. [WE HANDED THIS ONE OFF TO COLLIN HICKS SO FAST THAT MOST
PEOPLE ONLY
SAW A BLUR...]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - See the response to Recommendation 14 below. [OOPS
- WE
ACTUALLY MANAGED TO FORGET THAT WE ALREADY HANDED THIS ONE OFF TO
HICKS.
SORRY - ]
[RETURNING TO RECOMMENDATION 12] 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 [LET'S SEE HOW HICKS LIKES THE ANTI-NUKE CROWD P***ING
ON HIS
DOORSTEP], Foreign and Commonwealth Office [HICKS WILL NEED THEM
TO TWIST
THE OTHER FOLKS ARMS TO GET THEM TO CHIP IN], Department of the
Environment,
Transport and the Regions, Particle Physics and Astronomy
Research Council
[THE ONES LOOKING FOR THE CHEAPEST TELESCOPES], 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. [SORRY - WE JUST
NEEDED TO LET
HICKS KNOW IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT HIS MANDATE EXTENDS ONLY SO
FAR.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - The Government agrees on the need for an
international forum
to discuss and co-ordinate action on the NEO issue. [GREAT IDEA -
WE TRIED
TO FIND SOMEBODY ELSE TO PAY FOR THIS, BUT NO ONE CAME FORWARD.]
OTHER ACTIONS - 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.
[SINCE NO ONE AT THE UN HAS ANY IDEA WHAT TO DO EITHER, AND
CERTAINLY DOES
NOT WANT TO SPEND ANY MONEY ON IT, WE ARE TRYING TO BRING THE
SUBJECT UP AT
MEETINGS DEVOTED TO OTHER TOPICS - AFTER ALL, ISN'T GETTING HIT
BY ONE OF
THESES THINGS LIKE GETTING HIT BY A SATELLITE?]
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.
[WHILE NO ONE AT THE UN WANTED TO HANDLE THIS ONE, SOME LOOPY
B****** FROM
THE OECD SHOWED UP - WHAT IN DAMNATION DO THEY HAVE TO DO WITH
THIS ANYWAY?
IT DOESN'T MATTER, AND AS NO ONE TRUSTS THE OECD OR EVEN LIKES
THEM, THIS
MAY HELP TO ENSURE THAT WE WILL HAVE TO UNDERTAKE ABSOLUTELY NO
ACTION.]
THE TASK FORCE'S 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.
OUR RESPONSE - The Government welcomes this recommendation.
[GREAT IDEA -
IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE STRUCK OUT AT THE UN, WE TURNED TO OUR
FELLOW
EUROPEANS.]
OTHER ACTIONS - 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. [NO ONE AT THE ESA
CURRENTLY
HAS ANY IDEA WHAT TO DO EITHER, BUT AT LEAST WE DID BRING THE
SUBJECT UP AT
AN ESA MEETING DEVOTED TO ANOTHER TOPIC. GETING HIT BY ONE OF
THESE IS LIKE
GETTING HIT BY A SATELLITE, AFTER ALL.]
BNSC is encouraging ESA to bring the NEO issue to the agenda of
the ESA
International Relations Committee. [GOOD - HICKS IS LOOKING FOR
HELP
ALREADY, AND MAYBE SOMEONE IN THE ESA WILL FINALLY FIGURE OUT
WHAT TO DO AND
BE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT.] 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. [WONDER WHO JACQUES
AND GERHARD
WILL SEND TO KEEP HICKS COMPANY?]
In parallel, the European Science Foundation is preparing a
report on NEOs.
[UH-OH! CHRIST, LOOK OUT - ANOTHER REPORT!] The European Southern
Observatory is also keen to be involved in these discussions.
[BIEN SUR -
LOOKS LIKE THE FRENCH DON'T WANT TO SPEND ANY MORE MONEY EITHER.]
[BRITISH INDUSTRY]
[IF THE ESA DOES DECIDE TO ACT, MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME PEOPLE
EMPLOYED]
Here in the UK we have a great deal to bring to an international
approach
including:
· A strong track record in astronomy and in sky surveys (e.g. UK
Schmidt
Survey);
· A wide field survey telescope in the southern hemisphere
(VISTA) and the
UK Infrared
Telescope in the northern hemisphere which is being
adapted for survey
work;
· Through its facilities in La Palma and its future membership
of the
European Southern
Observatory the UK has or will have access to a number of
small and medium
sized
telescopes
in both hemispheres which could be used or adapted for
survey and
follow-up work;
· Particular skills in telescope design and construction in both
academia
and industry;
· UK industry produces what are currently the state of the art
CCD imaging
chips for astronomical use. This is a key technology for
Near Earth Object
study;
· Expertise in small satellite technology.
[WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO]
Work being taken forward will include:
The European Space Agency working to devise a European Strategy
on NEOs in
advance of the meeting of the ESA Council at Ministerial level in
November
of this year; [MAYBE IF WE REALLY PRESS THIS ISSUE, WE'LL BE ABLE
TO GET
SOMEONE IN EUROPE TO PICK UP PART OF THE BILL]
The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC)
carrying out a
further detailed study of telescope facilities necessary for
finding,
tracking and characterising properties of NEOs; [IF THIS ISSUE
HASN'T GONE
AWAY BY THE TIME PPARC FINISHES UP, AT LEAST WE WON'T HAVE TO
SPEND TOO MUCH
MONEY ON IT.]
The Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
discussing
with the UK the establishment of an international forum for
discussion of
and action on the threat to earth from Near Earth Objects; and,
the British
National Space Centre (BNSC) continuing to act as the lead
Government
Department on NEO policy. [WE'RE GOING TO MEET THAT LOOPY
B****** AGAIN.]
[WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU LATER.]
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.
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.
[HE'LL NEVER
WORK ON ANOTHER TASK FORCE FOR US AGAIN.]
[E.P. GRONDINE - February, 2001]
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UK ASTEROID RESPONSE 'UNSATISFACTORY'
From the BBC News Online, 26 February 2001
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1190000/1190973.stm
By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse
Scientists have criticised the UK government's response to an
expert
report on the threat to the Earth from asteroids and comets.
They say the reply, from science minister Lord Sainsbury, is
"half-hearted" and "largely non-committal".
Lord Sainsbury announced on Saturday that the UK would continue
discussions about the potential threat identified by the Near
Earth
Object (Neo) task force last year.
Some experts had hoped for immediate action.
Dr Benny Peiser of Liverpool's John Moores University said:
"It is a
mixed message. Many promises but no delivery."
He told BBC News Online: "Just days after US researchers
announced that
life on Earth was almost wiped out 250 million years ago by the
impact
of a giant asteroid or comet, the UK government has published a
half-hearted and largely non-committal response to the Task Force
report
on potentially hazardous near Earth objects.
"It was perhaps too optimistic to hope that the government
would
implement all of the task force's 14 recommendations. But the
failure to
announce any significant action, or any financial commitment is
unsatisfactory," he said.
Lost momentum
Jonathan Tate of the pressure-group Spaceguard UK told BBC News
Online:
"With the encouraging report by the Neo task force last year
we felt we
were making progress but I fear the momentum could now be
lost."
Spaceguard UK added in a statement: "A golden opportunity
for the UK to
take a world lead is in danger of being lost.
"The Neo Task Force report significantly raised the profile
of the
impact hazard worldwide, and the promise of British government
action
had given many international organisations pause for thought.
"The failure to follow this matter through is disappointing
to all
concerned."
A four-point package of measures to tackle the potential threat
from
asteroids and comets was announced by Lord Sainsbury, on
Saturday.
They include:
a review of how existing UK telescope facilities can be used to
track
potentially hazardous Neos
evaluating the setting up of a UK facility to provide information
and
education on Neos
convening a forum of 'decision makers' in the course of 2001 to
discuss
Europe's role in this area
considerations by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) to set up an international discussion and
action
forum on the potential threat from Neos.
The announcement follows a report by the Neo task force last
year, which
proposed how the UK should best contribute to an international
effort.
The government has said it is considering refurbishing an
existing
telescope to hunt for and monitor rogue asteroids. However, some
astronomers argue that re-fitting an existing telescope would not
work
and that a new telescope is needed.
Welsh observatory
In the absence of an official body to study the Neo threat,
Spaceguard
UK, a privately run organisation that has campaigned for
government
action since 1996, is establishing one of its own, based in
mid-Wales.
The Spaceguard centre will be situated at a private observatory
on a
hill overlooking the town of Knighton in mid-Wales. It should be
in
operation by the autumn.
"Its aim is to ensure that the public will remain thoroughly
informed on
Neo research and planetary defence issues," Jonathan Tate
told BBC News
Online.
"It will also continue to lobby the government in order to
ensure that
its vague promises will be followed by concrete action."
Commenting on the issue of asteroid defence, space visionary Sir
Arthur
C Clarke said from his home in Sri Lanka: "The
science-fiction writer
Larry Niven once said 'The dinosaurs became extinct because they
didn't
have a space programme.' It will serve us right if we suffer the
same
fate."
Copyright 2001, BBC