NASA and FEMA Prepare for Asteroid Impact with Emergency Planning Exercise

NASA scientists and crisis management specialists have held high-level training exercises to prepare for an asteroid strike on Earth. Senior officials said the exercise simulated an asteroid impact on Los Angeles on September 20 2020. They propose a scenario in which object 300-800 feet wide approaches. The exercise gave no time to launch an asteroid deflection mission and left emergency managers faced with the mass evacuation of more than 18 million people from Greater LA. The exercise provided a forum for the planetary science community to show how it would collect, analyse and share data about an asteroid colliding with Earth. Emergency managers discussed how the data would be used to consider some of the unique challenges an asteroid impact would present - for preparedness, response and public warning.