A Congressional hearing on the threat of asteroid impacts was held on Tuesday. Alan Boyle reports:

Congress got the word from NASA on Tuesday about its options for dealing with the threats posed by asteroids and comets: Lawmakers can either provide adequate funding for detecting and characterizing near-Earth objects, and diverting them if necessary — or they can pray.

• Congress hears options for asteroid defense: Pay now or pray later – Cosmic Log
• Smith: Avoiding Asteroid Threats Requires Innovation, Commitment and Diligence | Committee on Science – U.S. House of Representatives

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John S Lewis writes about comets and about their possible impact threat to earth: The Year of the Comets .