NASA Briefing on Asteroid Threat Scenario Exercise

NASA will host a media briefing at 3:30 p.m. EDT, Thursday, June 20 to discuss the newly released quick-look summary of the fifth biennial Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise (TTX5) held April 3, 2024. NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), in partnership with FEMA and with the assistance of the U.S. Department of State Office of Space Affairs, convened this exercise to inform and assess our ability as a nation to respond effectively to the potential impact hazards of asteroids and other near-Earth Objects (NEOs). While there are no known significant asteroid impact threats for the foreseeable future, hypothetical exercises like this one, which are conducted about every two years, provide valuable insights on how the United States could respond effectively if a potential asteroid impact threat is identified. Participants: Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer Emeritus, NASA Headquarters Leviticus “L.A.” Lewis, FEMA detailee to NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, NASA Headquarters Terik Daly, planetary defense section supervisor, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Charles Blue, Host, Media Specialist NASA Planetary Science Division To learn more about planetary defense at NASA, including the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, NASA's Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program, and upcoming planetary defense flight missions, including NASA'S NEO Surveyor mission, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-defense/