Asteroid Alert! What Would You Do?

February 4, 2025

A newly identified asteroid has a chance—though slim—of hitting Earth in late 2032, NPR reports, citing projections by NASA and its European counterpart. In preparing for the possibility, NASA can benefit from dialogue with the public, Mahmud Farooque and Jason L. Kessler argue in Issues. As evidence, they cite their experience partnering with NASA to use “participatory technology assessment” to engage citizens on planetary defense. And they hope the idea will spread, including beyond space: “leaders of technical organizations should support an office or team with the capacity and resources to champion more such engagements over the long term.”