International Asteroid Day is intended to commemorate on an international level every year the anniversary of the asteroid impact in Tunguska in Siberia, Russia on June 30, 1908 and to raise awareness of the danger of asteroid impacts.
The founders of Asteroid Day announced on Wednesday this week that the UN General Assembly officially recognized the event and announced that "June 30, International Asteroid Day, is intended to commemorate at the international level every year the anniversary of the asteroid impact on Tunguska in Siberia, Russia on June 30, 1908 and to raise awareness to the danger of an asteroid impact"
The full announcement of the UN General Assembly is here
"We are very proud of the UN for the recognition because we established Asteroid Day to raise awareness of the danger posed by asteroids and the opportunity for humanity to unite around one common goal: to protect the Earth from asteroid impacts" - said the founders Dr. Brian May, Danica Rami, Greg Richters And Rusty Schweigart, "Asteroid impacts are the only natural disaster we know how to prevent if we, Earth's space crew, work together to provide a global solution."
At the beginning of 2016, the ASE committee discussing near-Earth bodies issued an official recommendation in Vienna together with the Committee for the Peaceful Utilization of Space (COPUOS) that the General Assembly adopt Asteroid Day as an annual and global event.
The UN committee had a far-reaching interest in improving knowledge about the density and composition of nearby bodies that endanger the planet,
and predicting and addressing the threat of collision with this body especially for developing countries through two advisory bodies - the International Asteroid Early Warning Network (IWAN) and the Space Mission Advisory Group (SMPAG).
Through the leadership of the Association for the Exploration of Space (ASE), an international organization of astronauts, cosmonauts, technonauts and B612, a private organization to protect the Earth from asteroid impacts, the first Asteroid Day took place on June 30, 2015, the date chosen to mark the most devastating event in modern history, The asteroid that hit Tunguska in 1908 and destroyed about 2000 square kilometers of forest in Siberia, Russia,
During Asteroid Day 2016, more than 500 informational events were held in 72 countries, in which more than 50,000 participants participated and which were watched by over a million viewers in online broadcasts.
The official announcement of Asteroid Day on December 3, 2014, the organization published the "100 times" petition which contained the following 3 goals:
To use existing technology to discover and track near-Earth asteroids that threaten population concentrations by governments and private philanthropic organizations.
A "100-fold" acceleration in the rate of discovery and tracking of near-Earth asteroids to 100000 per year for the next 10 years.
Marking Asteroid Day all over the world, with the aim of raising awareness of the danger of asteroids and our efforts to prevent them from hitting us on June 30, 2015.
Today, the petition was signed by hundreds of scientists, planetary scientists, leading government and business people and over 40000 private citizens. Along with the recognition of the United Nations, one of the goals of the organization was achieved within only two years from the moment of launch
Astronaut Garrett Reisman, the first Jewish crew member on the International Space Station:
And I am very excited about the spread of Asteroid Day in the world and I am really happy that all of you in Israel care so much about this issue and are ready to intervene and help us protect our fragile planet.
The United Nations has just announced June 30 as International Asteroid Day, the day to raise awareness of asteroids and the danger they pose to humanity and the protection of the Earth.
It is great that Israel also celebrates this day together with all of us all over the world.
So join us on June 30 and take part in Asteroid Day in Israel
Dr. Ed Lowe, astronaut on the space shuttle on three missions and CEO of the B612 organization: The UN declaration of Asteroid Day is a testimony to the importance of the international work done by scientists and engineers around the world to protect the Earth from asteroid impacts. If we do our job correctly, the Earth will never be hit again by a large asteroid!"
Jan Warner, Director of the European Space Agency ESA: "This international recognition shows how the asteroid issue is increasingly becoming an international effort"
Romanian Astronaut Dmitri-Dorin Pronario: ASE is proud to take an important part in the organization, publicity and support of Asteroid Day and is satisfied with the current recognition at the UN."
About Asteroid Day:
Asteroid Day is an international organization designed to raise public awareness of the potential impacts of asteroids and the means to protect the Earth. The organization was founded in 2014 by Dr. Brian May - astrophysicist and the legendary guitarist of the band Queen, Danica Rami - the director of operations of the B612 organization, Rusty Schweigart - an Apollo astronaut and Greg Richters - a German film producer.
Asteroid Day is held on June 30 every year to mark the event of the largest asteroid impact in modern history in Tunguska in Siberia, which destroyed an area of 2000 square kilometers - the size of a large city in the world.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
- One hundred years since the Tunguska asteroid crash (published June 2008)
- Career recommendation - asteroid disposal mission planners
- Comet and asteroid impacts on the planet Jupiter
