NASA Space help please!?

Question

Ok now this is a very simple question i think NASA is in the US (please correct me if im wrong) and i heard that it is always keeping watch in space for any asteroids heading towards earth.So does NASA look out for the world so if it saw an asteroid heading for Europe or Asia or any other place would it alert them and try to help them? Best Answer Gets 10 points!

Answer 1

NASA is in the US.  Space observation is done all over the world, and it would be known quickly all over the world if there was a danger of a large asteroid colliding with Earth.

The effects of a large asteroid hitting earth would be very much greater than just one region of the world - it is possible that such an event triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs.  The whole world would have to do what it could.

DK

Answer 2

An asteroid impact has potentially catastrophic effects world wide. Even if an asteroid was projected to impact Europe, Asia or anyplace else it would be against our best interests to keep it a secret and not tell anyone.

Besides NASA doesn't have a monopoly on telescopes in the world. Word would get out.  

Answer 3

NASA-JPL is located in the USA and maintains a Near Earth Object web site:

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/

This site logs all objects passing near the Earth, no matter where, since any impact from a comet or asteroid would be a world-wide calamity, not confined to any one geographic area.

Answer 4

It's not NASA directly, but NASA does provide equipment & funding for the project.  They are much less concerned about which *country* a large asteroid is going to impact than if it's going to hit *Earth* at all - any impact of a large asteroid (figure, 1/2 mile in diameter or larger) will likely cause global effects, and certainly local devastation.  

Answer 5

NASA is indeed an agency of the United States government, but many of its efforts intend to benefit mankind on a planetary scale.  NASA cooperates with many worldwide space agencies.

Answer 6

NASA does not look for asteroids itself. NASA does not operate observatories of it's own. NASA funds US efforts for the Spaceguard program, which is a loose cooperation of NASA, ESA and other organizations committed to fulfill the mandate of the US congress to map 90% of all near Earth objects bigger than 10m.

It is no full protection yet (two large asteroids slipped past the observations already and reached Earth), but as almost all of the world is involved, you can be sure all governments will be warned if something is discovered.

NASA would sure try to help when spaceflight or aeronautics can solve the problem, but currently, the only thing NASA can provide in such an event is trajectory information to make the impact ellipse as small as possible (so it is known, where it will impact, the better it is known, the better the people can be evacuated).

The world has still no means to prevent an asteroid from hitting Earth. Forget the idea of launching ICBMs against the asteroids. ICBMs can not intercept an asteroid until it is about 1800 km away (as they are designed for lobbing their warheads 12000 km around Earth, not high). That is only 2 minutes away from impact.