Russian space № 23 (2012)

The asteroid-comet danger is one of the most significant and discussed in the world today.

The main attention is focused on large objects with a diameter of more than 50 meters, the probability of collision with which cannot be excluded.

The most famous of them is the asteroid Apophis, which in 2036 has a chance to collide with the Earth.

Recently, a meeting of the heads of the security councils and special services of 60 countries took place in St.

Petersburg, at which proposals were made for a joint fight against asteroids.

How often do astronomers discover objects like Apophis?

Who in Russia monitors dangerous asteroids?

What are the scenarios for countering the asteroid-comet danger?

Lydia Vasilyevna Rykhlova, Deputy Chairman of the working expert group on space threats at the Space Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is visiting the program.