Nasa's effort to identify potentially dangerous space rocks has taken a hit. The space agency's inspector general has released a report blasting Nasa's Near Earth Objects program, which is meant to hunt and catalog comets, asteroids and relatively large fragments of these objects that pass within 28 million miles of Earth. Just one million of the program's $40 million annual budget is spent on strategies to deflect an incoming asteroid or evacuate areas in danger of impact, said the report by Nasa inspector General Paul Martin. Scroll down for video . In a 44-page report, Inspector General Paul Martin said the Near Earth Objects program needs to be better organized and managed, with a bigger staff. For nearly a decade, the report noted, NASA has been tracking near-Earth objects bigger than 460 feet across. The goal was to catalog 90 percent by 2020. The space agency has discovered and plotted the orbits of more than 11,000 near-Earth objects since 1998, an estimated 10 percent. It does not expect to meet the 2020 deadline. The purpose is to protect the planet against their potential dangers. Most near-Earth objects harmlessly disintegrate before reaching Earth's surface. But there are exceptions, like the nearly 60-foot meteor that exploded over Russia in 2013, causing considerable damage. In a 44-page report, Inspector General Paul Martin said the Near Earth Objects program needs to be better organized and managed, with a bigger staff. 'We believe the program would be more efficient, effective and transparent were it organized and managed in accordance with standard NASA research program requirements,' it said. The report faulted the NEO Program's lack of structure, and said its resources are inadequate for handling its growing agenda. It said the program's executive office fell short when it came to overseeing progress in the asteroid-tracking effort. There were no formal partnerships with the Defense Department or the National Science Foundation, or with international space agencies, it pointed out. Those groups could make significant contributions to the effort, the report said. The 'lack of planning and resources has prevented the NEO Program from developing additional agreements that could help achieve program goals,' it added. 'For example, establishing formal partnerships with the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and international agencies could give the NEO Program access to additional Earth-based telescopes and thereby increase its ability to detect, track, and characterize a greater number of NEOs. The space agency has discovered and plotted the orbits of more than 11,000 near-Earth objects since 1998, an estimated 10 percent . NASA's science mission chief, former astronaut John Grunsfeld, agreed and promised the problems will be fixed. For nearly a decade, the report noted, NASA has been tracking near-Earth objects bigger than 460 feet across. The goal was to catalog 90 percent by 2020. The space agency has discovered and plotted the orbits of more than 11,000 near-Earth objects since 1998, an estimated 10 percent. It does not expect to meet the 2020 deadline. The program has insufficient oversight, Martin's office concluded, and no established milestones to track progress. In addition, NASA needs to do a better job of overseeing the various observatories searching for near-Earth objects, and teaming up with other U.S. and international agencies, the report said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Just one million of the program's $40 million annual budget is spent on strategies to deflect an incoming asteroid .
No formal partnerships with the Defense Department, National Science Foundation, or international space agencies .
Nasa's effort to identify potentially dangerous space rocks has taken a hit. The space agency's inspector general has released a report blasting Nasa's Near Earth Objects program, which is meant to hunt and catalog comets, asteroids and relatively large fragments of these objects that pass within 28 million miles of Earth. Just one million of the program's $40 million annual budget is spent on strategies to deflect an incoming asteroid or evacuate areas in danger of impact, said the report by Nasa inspector General Paul Martin. Scroll down for video . In a 44-page report, Inspector General Paul Martin said the Near Earth Objects program needs to be better organized and managed, with a bigger staff. For nearly a decade, the report noted, NASA has been tracking near-Earth objects bigger than 460 feet across. The goal was to catalog 90 percent by 2020. The space agency has discovered and plotted the orbits of more than 11,000 near-Earth objects since 1998, an estimated 10 percent. It does not expect to meet the 2020 deadline. The purpose is to protect the planet against their potential dangers. Most near-Earth objects harmlessly disintegrate before reaching Earth's surface. But there are exceptions, like the nearly 60-foot meteor that exploded over Russia in 2013, causing considerable damage. In a 44-page report, Inspector General Paul Martin said the Near Earth Objects program needs to be better organized and managed, with a bigger staff. 'We believe the program would be more efficient, effective and transparent were it organized and managed in accordance with standard NASA research program requirements,' it said. The report faulted the NEO Program's lack of structure, and said its resources are inadequate for handling its growing agenda. It said the program's executive office fell short when it came to overseeing progress in the asteroid-tracking effort. There were no formal partnerships with the Defense Department or the National Science Foundation, or with international space agencies, it pointed out. Those groups could make significant contributions to the effort, the report said. The 'lack of planning and resources has prevented the NEO Program from developing additional agreements that could help achieve program goals,' it added. 'For example, establishing formal partnerships with the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and international agencies could give the NEO Program access to additional Earth-based telescopes and thereby increase its ability to detect, track, and characterize a greater number of NEOs. The space agency has discovered and plotted the orbits of more than 11,000 near-Earth objects since 1998, an estimated 10 percent . NASA's science mission chief, former astronaut John Grunsfeld, agreed and promised the problems will be fixed. For nearly a decade, the report noted, NASA has been tracking near-Earth objects bigger than 460 feet across. The goal was to catalog 90 percent by 2020. The space agency has discovered and plotted the orbits of more than 11,000 near-Earth objects since 1998, an estimated 10 percent. It does not expect to meet the 2020 deadline. The program has insufficient oversight, Martin's office concluded, and no established milestones to track progress. In addition, NASA needs to do a better job of overseeing the various observatories searching for near-Earth objects, and teaming up with other U.S. and international agencies, the report said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
million of the program's $40 million annual budget is spent on strategies to deflect an formal partnerships with the Defense Department or the National Science Foundation, or with international space agencies, it pointed out.