An Approach To Assessing The Technological Cost/Benefits Of Critical And Sub-Critical Cosmic Impact Prevention

 J. L. Remo. (1998), JBIS, 51, pp.461-470

Refcode: 1998.51.461

Abstract:

Sufficient evidence exists to support the hypothesis that the impact on Earth of a (critically) large asteroid fragment or comet can have a catastrophic and often irreversible effect on the biosphere and its inhabitants, primarily through global changes in the atmosphere induced by initial and secondary effects associated with the impact 16. The plausibility of the extraterrestrially caused extinction and importance of studies on near-Earth objects (NEOs) was underscored with the discovery of the iridium anomaly at the K/T (Cretaceous-Tertiary) boundary. No other event has so clearly demonstrated the influence of minor objects on the evolution of terrestrial life. The introduction of studies based on the fossil record has broadened the interdisciplinary nature of planetary science by encompassing fundamental concepts of Earth history, mam-malian evolution and contemporary natural hazards both on Earth and in space.