A panel of near-Earth objects experts will discuss an international response to the NEO threat at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, at the High Country Conference Center as part of the Planetary Defense Conference. The discussion is open to the media and the general public, as well as conference participants.
Members of the panel include:
Alan Harris, DLR Institute for Planetary Research/NEOShield
Harris is a senior scientist at the DLR Institute for Planetary Research in Berlin, Germany, and has 20 years of experience in observations and modeling of the physical properties of NEOs. He is also the NEOShield project coordinator.
Noah Saks, Astrium/NEOShield
Saks is a system engineer and study manager at Astrium in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Having worked on many science mission studies, he is managing the kinetic impactor mission design for NEOShield.
Detlef Koschny, European Space Agency
Koschny is a study and project manager at ESA and currently managing the NEO segment for ESA’s Space Situational Awareness program.
Rusty Schweickart, B612 Foundation
Schweickart was the Lunar Module Pilot on the Apollo 9 mission in March 1969. He co-founded and served as Chairman of B612 Foundation from 2001-2011.
Ed Lu, B612 Foundation
Lu is a former NASA astronaut who flew three space missions including six months on the International Space Station. He is the co-inventor of the Gravity Tractor.
Bruce Betts, The Planetary Society
Betts is a planetary scientist and the Director of Projects for The Planetary Society, the world’s largest space interest group.