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Peer Review Committee




Peer Review Committee decided for Next Close Approach of an Asteroid
 

At a very private meeting of 15 of the top astronomers engaged in NEO
research at the
IAU and NASA/JPL a method was decided for a future method for announcing
asteroids
which close approachs may come dangerously close to the Earth. A peer
review committee
which has yet to be decided on who and number of members, will sit down for
a few days
to evaluate the potential hazard of the asteroid and the announcement then
will come from the committee with a proposed solution should any exist.

To be honest with you it really is hard to determine if these 15
astronomers speak for the entire world of astronomers in this matter or a
"Peer Review Committee" needs additional discussion and details to be
worked out on an international conference.  Only time will tell if an
international agreement can be made with all scientist in agreement as to
the authority of this committee. The jerky start and stop nature of the
scientific process must be put aside in this
instant for the purpose of getting the most "pure" and "correct"  data out
to the public
media so the public does not panic and the scientist do not appear foolish.
This agreement made in Houston, Texas at the Lunar and Planetary Science
Conference has a
very good and worth intention and the scientist who made the agreement are
all honorable persons.  The IAU scientist were headed by Dr. Brian Marsden,
40 years in the study of NEO's and the senior scientist at the MPC and NASA
also had a group of renounced scientist headed I suppose by senior
scientist Don Yeomans with JPL's top NEAT astronomer Eleanor (Glo) Helin
acting as a mediator. I fear this may be is another example of hindsight
being 20/20.

 You know what they say about good and worth intentions and the road to
destruction
being paved by them (good intentions).  Personally I doubt this process of
peer review will get another chance to be tested for another case of such a
close approach in any of their lifetimes. Astronomical bodies tend to move
on a rather large time scale as compared to people.

Victor D. Noto ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Victor Noto - Kissimmee, Florida USA vnn2@phoenixat.com http://www.phoenixat.com/~vnn2/BIGROCK.htm Website theme quote: "Life really is a Rock and the Big Rock giveth and taketh away all life!!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Victor Noto - Kissimmee, Florida USA vnn2@phoenixat.com http://www.phoenixat.com/~vnn2/BIGROCK.htm Website theme quote: "Life really is a Rock and the Big Rock giveth and taketh away all life!!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------