Asteroid 1998 QE2 passed earth yesterday and earthlings waved hello/goodbye to it: Asteroid 1998 QE2 sails past Earth, leaving cosmic lessons behind – Cosmic Log.
This event inspired a Google+ Hangout that included a participant from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) along with several space notables for a discussion about asteroids: We the Geeks: A White House Google+ Hangout Series – The White House
During a conversation moderated by OSTP’s Cristin Dorgelo, we’ll be talking about asteroid identification, characterization, resource utilization, and hazard mitigation with:
- Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator, NASA
- Bill Nye, Executive Director, Planetary Society
- Ed Lu, former astronaut and CEO, B612 Foundation
- Peter Diamandis, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, Planetary Resources
- Jose Luis Galache, Astronomer at the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center