Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:42:03 -0400
From: mark <whitroth at 5-cent.us>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: [WSFA] Asteroid Hearing In Congress Spotlights Threat Posed By Space Rocks
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

Excerpt:
John Holdren, the White House's senior advisor for science and
technology, gave similarly dire warnings. "=C2=80=C2=9CUnfortunately, the=
 number
of undetected potential "=C2=80=C2=98city killers"=C2=80=C2=99 is very la=
rge,"=C2=80=C2=9D he said,
according to Bloomberg
News.

Holdren added that scientists are powerless to stop an asteroid on a
collision course with Earth: "The answer to you is, if it's coming in
three weeks, pray."

But NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the risk of a large asteroid
striking Earth is not a near-term concern. Bolden recommended instead
that NASA simply stick to its current research program.

Smith raised doubts over whether NASA could "defy budget gravity and get
an increase when everyone else is getting cuts." The agency, he argued,
will nevertheless need to find a way to re-prioritize its current
projects to focus more on the threat of a potential asteroid impact.
--- end excerpt ---

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/asteroid-hearing-congress-impac=t-nasa_n_2908817.html>

And with the Republicans starting to yell about getting some kind of
defense... but won't raise taxes, or give NASA more money, just do more
with less.

mark