Just take a look, please… It’s the most realistic approach when it comes to North Korea’s technological capabilities, even if in a sci-fi movie.

So if the telescope has to be on a satellite well inside the Earth’s orbit around the sun, so be it.

You are SOL. It’s like barking into the wind. — Sammy

A world-wide network of telescopes is inadequate for that. We had absolutely no warning of the Chelybinsk event, even though we’ve been looking for objects like that. We need to be looking for them from well inside earth’s orbit, so we’re not looking into the sun. That’s why the B612 Foundation was established.

My guess is they’re sorting through all this trying to figure out ways to direct pork to their districts. We already saw of that in the last hearing with the guy whose district includes the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory trying to get Charlie Bolden to commit to sending the research work there.

1) Tiny
Detection = Not needed. Destroyed by Earth’s atmosphere. Check
Defense = watch natural firework show. Check
Action = None needed. Check

2) Small
Detection = World wide network of telescopes to detect at least 20 minutes in advance.
Defense = Pass warning to relevant civil defense organization via the UN. Tell people in the blast area to shelter under a table from flying glass. (Similar to nuclear ‘Duck and Cover’)
Action = Create observer network, possibly in space. Set up UN body to pass information very quickly. Make films showing people what to do. Supply copies to TV stations.

3) Medium
Detection = World wide network of telescopes to detect 2-3 days in advance.
Defense = Pass warning to relevant civil defense organization vie the UN.
Evacuate the area. Supply housing and consumables to the survivors.
Warn people in surrounding areas to shelter under a table from flying glass.
Action = Enhance civil defense plans to allow anywhere in the world to be evacuated. Create observer network, possibly in space. Set up UN body to pass information very quickly. Stock pile temporary housing able to last months, water and food. Train people in organizing evacuations and refugee camps. Make films showing people what to do. Supply copies to TV stations. (Some Medium and Small threat actions may be similar.)

4) Large
Detection = World wide network of telescopes to detect 2-3 days in advance. It may be possible to detect some threats months or years in advance using existing equipment. Check
Defense = Destroy or divert incoming threat. Backup: try using Medium asteroid Defense.
Action = Set up research programs to devise prototype methods of destroying and/or diverting space objects like meteors and asteroids. NASA can organize the telescopes and the DoD the destruction.

It looks like the main countermeasure to asteroids is the one we’ve always depended upon, living with the odds.

Maybe we’ll get better options soon.