Saving Earth: Asteroid Emergency Tabletop Exercise at the 2013 PDC

The last installment of our Planetary Defense Conference coverage makes a deep impact as hundreds of attendees participate in an asteroid mitigation exercise. You’ll hear from astronauts Ed Lu and Rusty Schweikart, Near Earth Object expert Don Yeomans, Cathy Plesko of the Los Alamos National Laboratory and many more.  Bruce Betts and Mat Kaplan host special guest Mike Puzio and his dad. Nine-year-old Mike’s suggestion for naming an asteroid that will be visited by a spacecraft beat 8,000 other entries. Bill Nye talks about visiting with the President at the White House Science Fair.

Related Links

• 2013 Planetary Defense Conference
• VIDEOS: Here's the Complete PDC Public Event
• IMAGES: Selected Photos from the Planetary Defense Conference
• Bill Nye at the White House Science Fair
• EMILY'S BLOG: Thoughts on Kiera Wilmot: Mentor Curiosity to Create Future Scientists

Trivia Contest

This week's prize is Bill Nye the Science Guy's voice on your answering system!

This week's question:
Name the five largest moons in the solar system!

To submit your answer:
Complete the contest entry form at http:planetary.org/radiocontest no later than Monday, May 13, at 2pm Pacific Time.

Last week's question:
What is the spectral centerline of the sodium doublet?  (The answer is numerical.)

Answer:
The answer will be revealed next week.

Question from the week before:
What is the name of the pioneering planetary geologist who did the first detailed geological mapping of Meteor Crater in Arizona? He was also central to the determination that it was caused by an impact, along with lunar and other craters.

Answer:
The late Eugene Shoemaker