Defending Earth against dangerous asteroids: Q&A with NASA's Lindley Johnson

My concern regarding defense against city killing/extinction level classes of asteroids is that the world does not have the infrastructure in place to interdict such asteroids. There are three components. The late Dr. Edward Teller argued for a system of nuclear weapons which could be launched proactively from either Earth and/or space against potentially disastrous asteroids. The other two components are: being able to do early detection and, most problematic, having a "Wyatt Earp" agency that can "pull the trigger" and hit the target(s). My personal opinion: such a costly program which requires a full trust in our fellow humans "just ain't gonna happen" unless the world gets a really scary wake-up event.
 

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