The Future of Planetary Defense

Asteroid impacts pose a credible threat to humanity, but--unlike many types of natural disasters--they are also potentially preventable. Planetary defense encompasses all efforts to detect and warn of potential near-Earth object impacts and to either prevent impacts or reduce their consequences, if impact cannot be prevented. Over the last few years, planetary defense has moved into the mainstream, and planetary-defense efforts have accelerated across the globe. With the success of NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission in 2022, humanity has now demonstrated that we have a viable technology to deflect asteroids. But what comes next? This seminar will provide an overview of the hazards posed by near-Earth object impacts, the state of the field, and outline what needs to be done in the coming decade to make progress toward an operational planetary defense capability