Experts call for global network to prevent asteroid disasters

Between 500 and 1,000 massive asteroids cross the Earth’s path regularly and any one of them could cause a global catastrophe, space experts warned Tuesday, urging quick preventive measures.

Some 6,000 cosmic objects circulating around the planet are currently known to experts in the field, the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) told a press conference at the UN headquarters in Vienna, where it presented its report “Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response.”

And of these, up to 1,000 had a diameter of 150 kilometres (93 miles) or more, meaning they could cause major damage to the Earth’s surface, prompting fires, tsunamis and ensuing disasters like famine, it said. Full Story