EADP_PDC15_Abstract,_update version_2,_Jan_2016

Emergency Asteroid Defence Project (EADP) abstract
Version 2, updated January 2016
Soeren O. Ekelund, Henrik S. Jacobsen
Version 1 published at
4th
IAA Planetary Defense Conference – PDC 2015, 13-17 April 2015, Frascati, Roma, Italy
Soeren O. Ekelund, Cristina Stanilescu, Nadim Alawi, Cristina De La Cruz
Emergency Asteroid Defence Project
www.eadproject.com
Hvalpsundvej 58, 9200 Aalborg Øst
Denmark
Email: info@eadproject.com
Keywords: emergency solution, asteroid defence, city-killers, HAIV, NED, impact vehicle
Introduction
The Earth is constantly threatened by many asteroids and comets – the big civilization-
destroying NEOs have almost all been tracked, and found without risk within many years,
and any new discoveries of these will most probably be done 10-20 years ahead of impact,
allowing numerous known and future options for mitigation.
However, millions of smaller asteroids in the range of 20-300 meter diameter, each capable
of destroying big cities and ruining the global economy with one sudden impact, still pose a
considerable risk. Many of these impacts can be predicted with several weeks warning
through initiatives such as Catalina Sky Survey, Pan-STARRS, LINEAR, Spacewatch and
NEOWISE, as well as coming ATLAS and the Sentinel Mission initiatives.
Still, none of these initiatives can effectively counter any short-term threats they find, and
Earth is therefore left with emergency threats that cannot be handled even if they are known,
and as such potentially millions of lives may be lost and enormous damages incurred, where
they could have been avoided. Not even NASAs new Planatary Defence Office has means
nor budget for doing anything active to lessen the threat.
For the reasons above the ‘emergency asteroid threat’ also presents a number of
commercial business opportunities in the space industry if an economical and politically
acceptable solution can be demonstrated and delivered to insurance companies and
governments wanting to reduce their considerable risk (as compared to any individual) of
damage and chaos resulting from short-warning asteroid and comet impacts.
We at Emergency Asteroid Defense Project (EADP) are committed to change that situation
as soon as possible: Our team of passionate professionals, professors, experts,
entrepreneurs and philanthropists, all fully vested in EADP, has the extraordinary goal of
protecting Earth against asteroid catastrophes with short warning times, by implementing
and ensuring the use of the Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle (HAIV) method,

designed by Prof. Bong Wie’s team from the Asteroid Deflection Research Center (ADRC)
at Iowa State University.
The HAIV is an advanced spacecraft, designed to pulverize an asteroid or comet (under one
often called NEOs; Near-Earth Objects) by impacting it first with a kinetic energy Leader
vehicle, creating a shallow crater which a Follower vehicle enters to detonate a nuclear
explosive device (NED) as deep within the asteroid or comet as possible, scattering it into a
cluster of harmlessly sized remains with an effect some 20 times greater than a contact burst
of the same yield. This mitigation method have previously been considered radical, but has
been judged both ethical and legal by our esteemed space lawyer Frans von der Dunk1 and
has recently been condoned by both American NASA, European NEOShield and the
Russian space agency Roscosmos2.
HAIVs of different sizes (with different sized NEDs) can be launched from both interplanetary
launch vehicles (such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 / Heavy or the Ariane II / IV Heavy) for long
range missions far from Earth with warning times greater than 30 days, and suborbital
launch vehicles (primarily ICBMs and anti-ICBM rockets) for emergency missions with
warning times down to a few hours and reach as far as the moon.
The HAIV carries surface-penetration NEDs for the greatest effect. EADP advocates that
this is currently the only method of defence available for short term mitigation, and that it is
safe, not the least compared to the damages an asteroid or comet impact could otherwise
do.
We are aware of the complications the use of NEDs entail, due to various treaties and
doctrines, and work with these complications on every level of our project, from international
politics to production partners and the fact that we as an international NGO cannot be in
possession of nor handle the NEDs directly. But we are also confident that we can provide
the global community as well as individual states a new tool available for the utmost
emergency.
Our final goal is to create a safety net of HAIVs worldwide, ready to be launched at any kind
of asteroid or comet threat, hence ensuring humanity’s survival, as well as the survival of all
inhabitants on Earth and the biodiversity. Our goal in a timeframe of less than 5 years is to
develop, test, provide and ensure the use of HAIVs for emergency defense against asteroids
and comets of 20-300m diameter, with a response time from first warning to full mitigation
down to one hour.
The first step is to build a scaled down HAIV, in principle capable of pulverizing asteroids
and comets up to 50 m diameter and in some cases more, and use this for testing the
complete concept at a safe distance from Earth.
With this done, a full scale HAIV capable of pulverizing average asteroids and comets of
diameters up to 300 m and above, and almost any asteroid or comet when used in groups,
1 http://eadproject.com/files/Report-on-legal-parameters-for-an-asteroid-deflection-demonstration-mission-
as-part-of-the-EADP.pdf
2 www.sputniknews.com/science/20160117/1033291144/space-asteroid-nuclear-weapons.html

is to be designed and built for emergency use, while again a second is constructed and
safely tested at great distance from Earth, before being released for series production.
To fund this global endeavor, which national states and their space organizations cannot
actively take part in due to currently established treaties and doctrines, we have carried out
a multi-step crowdfunding campaign. Such campaigns, for goals with much less global
importance and appeal, have previously proven able to provide funds upwards of $100
million 11. Our campaign reached 2.8 million people worldwide, yet resulted in only some
6000 visitors to the donation sites – these 6000 donated in 4% of the cases, a very high
conversion factor (average 1.5% for such campaigns) but due to the low number of visitors,
the campaign resulted in just around $8000 in donations.
Later our research into this odd result has revealed that asteroid defence more than almost
anything else triggers a psychological phenomenon called ‘cognitive dissonance’. In short it
is caused when new information prompts you to change your view on the world radically –
in this case the threat image – and such a change would make much of your previous
assumptions and actions incorrect. The human mind is not developed to cope with this
easily, as an example to avoid us from all jumping off cliffs just because one miraculously
survived doing so, and instead copes by simply ignoring the importance of the information.
This happens in many other cases as well 12, but combined with the asteroid threat literally
being far out (in space – which the human mind is neither developed to perceive) it makes
the asteroid threat extremely hard to raise a public opinion about. As such, neither public
nor political support in any great amount can be expected for asteroid defence.
Despite public ignorance, it will take just a single impact or near-impact to suddenly make
both governments and insurance companies feel the extreme costs of such a disaster, both
in human lives which will in turn result in great media coverage, and in economic damages
that either the insurance companies or the governments struck will have to cover, with many
other governments and reinsurers more or less forced to provide aid. The Chelyabinsk
meteor alone, despite being among the absolutely smallest that can be expected and
exploding over a remote area, caused damages of over $33 million in 2013 Russian prices.
With costs for an impact of greater size easily being billions of USD, there is a business case
in developing the HAIV technology to the point of series production, to enable it to be
provided to customers among governments with NEDs (US have mothballed several for the
purpose of asteroid defence) and perhaps insurance companies (which will then depend on
governments only to provide the NEDs) as soon as a shift in understanding of the threat
occurs, be it due to an impact or the testing of the HAIVs themselves. As soon as asteroid
defence in this way becomes a matter of national security, probably with many states
unwilling to put their fates in the hands of foreign governments, there could be a market for
hundreds if not thousands of HAIVs, with the provider more or less dictating the cost. This
should both motivate first-movers, and have governments reconsider the slight backing
given to asteroid defence projects, since the cost may become much higher later then, since
otherwise the politicians will then later only have their own ignorance to blame.
We have reached out to many experienced spacecraft companies with this suggestion, and
with NASA recently publicly condoning the use of NEDs in emergency asteroid defence, a
handful of interested parties are now in dialogue with us – whatever they will become

competitors or a sort of coalition is formed remains to be seen; what matters to EADP is still
that an asteroid defence as efficient as possible is established as fast as possible.
Since EADP is still a small but growing organization, we are very dependent on third party
financial resources. We are however already now supported internally by philanthropists
and externally by donations; not much in the big picture but enough to matter and until this
date it has not been a limit to our commitment. For we all believe that with the right
knowledge and understanding of Earth’s actual situation, as well as the help of experienced
entrepreneurs used to doing what most assume is impossible, the success of our efforts are
already secured as long as we keep up our good work.
Mission plan and the HAIV system
Often asteroids and comets, especially smaller but aptly named City-Killers, are only
detected shortly before impacting Earth’s atmosphere.
In these cases, even if detected 30 days before impact or more, conventional nor innovative
new deflection methods can either not be deployed fast enough (ion engine, solar sail tug,
etc.) or will not have effect fast enough (kinetic impactor, reflective paint bomb, etc.) to make
a serious difference.
Only a massive stand-off nuclear explosion is an option today in such scenarios, and that
requires enormous missiles or lots of them and results in much energy being directed away
from the asteroid or comet, with great risks both regarding collateral damage to satellites
and Earth, and political problems. And conventional missiles have a high risk of outright
missing asteroids going as fast as 30 kilometers per second.
These are the potentially million-deaths and billion-dollars-damage emergencies the HAIV
is made for; a spacecraft capable of striking an asteroid or comet approaching at any speed,
almost immediately upon detection, and pulverize it safely anywhere closer to the Earth than
the moon, even below the lowest satellites if necessary – and possible with warning times
down to one hour.
By using a combination of kinetic impact, followed by detonation of a NED inside the newly
made crater, the HAIV needs only 1/20th the explosive yield otherwise required to shatter a
similar asteroid or comet with a nuclear contact explosion, and hundreds of times less than
a stand-off explosion. And it directs as much energy as possible into the asteroid, to not just
break it up but effectively pulverize it into small harmless pieces, scattered over a very large
area so even their combined heat as they burn up in the atmosphere is safe.
Background
Traditionally asteroid detection has focused on very big asteroids capable of ruining
civilization, but as detection technology has improved and even small asteroids and comets

have been shown to potentially do enormous damage (such as the less than 20m diameter
Chelyabinsk meteor which damaged 100,000 buildings and wounded 1500 people in
February 2013, causing estimated $33 million in damages at Russian prices), detection of
much smaller asteroids and comets have become a priority.
With the new NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System) and
hopefully the B612 / Sentinel Mission’s asteroid-tracking infrared space telescope, even the
Chelyabinsk meteor – and especially the next one which might just be a little bit bigger and
therefore able to kill millions – could be detected with at least a day’s warning3:
A scenario in which a small (e.g., 50-150 m) Earth-impacting asteroid or comet is discovered
with short warning time is considered the most probable scenario, because smaller asteroids
and comets greatly outnumber the larger ones and are much harder to detect.1
Just because we know a threat is there, sadly doesn’t mean we can do something against
it with conventional tools: A variety of asteroid and comet deflection or disruption
technologies, such as nuclear stand-off explosions, kinetic impactors and slow-pull gravity
tractors, have been investigated by planetary defense researchers during the past two
decades. To date, however, there is no consensus on how to reliably deflect or disrupt
hazardous asteroids and comets in a timely manner, when warning times are less than a
year, or even just few weeks or hours.
All of the non-nuclear techniques will require mission lead times of several years, even for
a relatively small asteroids and comets. When the time-to-impact with the Earth exceeds a
decade, the forces needed to alter the orbit of a target asteroid or comet sufficiently to deflect
it away from Earth impact is relatively small. Thus, most non-nuclear options as well as a
nuclear standoff explosion can be employed for deflection missions when we have
sufficiently long warning time.1 And kinetic impactors and nuclear explosions may be
considered as the most mature technologies for asteroid deflection or disruption, as
concluded in the 2010 NRC report.2

But because nuclear energy densities are nearly a million times higher than those possible
with chemical bonds, a nuclear explosive device is the most mass-efficient means for storing
energy with today’s technology – and mass is the absolutely limiting factor when it comes to
launching equipment into space. Nuclear standoff explosions are thus assessed to be much
more effective than any other non-nuclear alternatives, especially for larger asteroids.1
However, the precise outcome of an asteroid or comet deflection attempt using a nuclear
standoff explosion is depending on a myriad variables. Shape and composition of the target
asteroid or comet are critical factors. These critical properties, plus others, would need to be
characterized, ideally by a separate mission, prior to a successful nuclear deflection attempt,
unless a sufficiently large catch-all mission can be launched.1
Overview of asteroid and comet defence methods,
regarding size and warning time respectively 3
Other techniques, involving the use of surface or subsurface nuclear explosives, are
assessed to be more efficient than the stand-off explosion.2 The nuclear subsurface
explosion, even with shallow burial to a depth of 3 to 5 m, can deliver a large amount of
energy into the target asteroid, so that there is a likelihood of totally disrupting the target
asteroid. Such subsurface nuclear explosions are known to be at least 20 times more
effective than a nuclear contact burst (a nuclear explosion very close to the surface), and

the momentum/energy transfer created by a shallow subsurface nuclear explosion is at least
100 times larger than that of an optimal standoff nuclear explosion.4
However, state-of-the-art nuclear subsurface penetrator technology limits the impact
velocity to less than about 300 m/s because higher impact velocities prematurely destroy
the fusing mechanisms/electronics of nuclear explosive devices. An increased impact speed
limit of 1.5 km/s may be technically feasible for nuclear Earth-Penetrator Weapons (EPWs),4
but this is still far less than the 30 km/s an asteroid or comet may need to be intercepted
with.1
So when with a warning of less than a year, to be expected for many asteroids and comets
as big as 300 m in diameter (and as such capable of ruining even small nation states), a
new asteroid and comet defence tool is needed. We know this system as the HAIV, a
concept researched by the Asteroid Deflection Research Center (ADRC) at Iowa State
University from 2011 to 2014 1 and now further developed by ADRC together with EADP.
Figure 1

The HAIV
In order to overcome the practical constraints on the penetrated subsurface nuclear
explosion, the HAIV system concept has been developed, which will enable a last-hour,
nuclear disruption mission with intercept velocities as high as 30 km/s. The proposed HAIV
system is a two-body space vehicle consisting of a fore body (leader) and an aft body
(follower), as illustrated in Figure 1 on the previous page.
By using a combination of kinetic impact, followed by detonation of a NED inside the newly
made crater, the HAIV needs only 1/20th-1/100th the explosive yield otherwise required to
shatter a similar asteroid or comet with a stand-off nuclear explosion.
And this directs as much energy as possible into the asteroid, to not just break it up but
effectively pulverize it into small harmless pieces, leaving nothing dangerous to hit the Earth
even if intercepting only a few hundred kilometers above ground level.1
Simulation of a 70 m asymmetric asteroid disrupted to near-pulverization by 10 km/s kinetic
impactor followed by 70 kt nuclear subsurface explosion, such as delivered by a 500 kg
class HAIV1:

Launch
The HAIV can be launched with a wide variety of launch vehicles, such as Delta II class,
Atlas V, Falcon 9, Delta IV, and Delta IV Heavy or Falcon Heavy, and all can be used for
the HAIV mission carrying a variety of NED payloads ranging from 30 kg (with approx. 20 kt
yield for 50 m diameter asteroids) over 300 kg (with approx. 300 kt yield for 200 m diameter
asteroids) to 1,500 kg (with approx. 2 Mt yield for 1 km diameter asteroids).
Due to the relative smaller mass of the HAIV compared to other asteroid and comet defence
methods, the HAIV’s launch options for near-Earth interception includes fast-response
suborbital launch vehicles such as modified ICBMs – this provides a reaction time much less
than the around 30 days needed for interplanetary launch vehicles (common space rockets,
such as used in the moon landings), down to an hour in absolute emergencies. With ICBMs
common and widespread on the surface of Earth this yields many opportunities for
interception even with very short warning – as long as the HAIV is present.
Suborbital Nuclear Intercept and Fragmentation Mission Scenario1,3
NEO interception
At present there have been no flight missions to validate planetary defense techniques or
technologies.
However, between 1986 and 2011, a total of 11 science spacecraft have performed flybys
of 6 comets and 7 asteroids, and rendezvoused with 3 asteroids. The first of these were the

Vega 1, Vega 2, and Giotto spacecraft, all of which performed flybys of comet 1P/Halley in
1986. The Galileo spacecraft closely approached two asteroids: 951 Gaspra in 1991 and
243 Ida in 1993.5
Meanwhile, Giotto performed a flyby of comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup in 1992. In 1997, the
NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft flew past the asteroid 253 Mathilde on the way to the asteroid
433 Eros, where the spacecraft entered a captured orbit and performed an extended
scientific survey. During the same time frame, the Deep Space 1 spacecraft performed a
flyby of asteroid 9969 Braille in 1999 and comet 19P/Borrelly in 2001.
Following this, the Stardust spacecraft flew by asteroid 5535 Annefrank in 2002 and comet
81P/Wild in 2004. With the exception of NEAR-Shoemaker, all of these missions only flew
past the asteroids or comets at distances of several hundred to several thousand kilometers.
This changed in 2005 when the Deep Impact spacecraft successfully deployed an impactor
to collide with comet 9P/Tempel, creating a spectacular display. During the same year, the
Hayabusa/MUSES-C spacecraft rendezvoused with asteroid 25143 Itokawa and eventually
returned tiny grains of asteroid material to Earth. The Rosetta spacecraft flew past the
asteroids 2867 Steins in 2008 and 21 Lutetia in 2010 on its way to a 2014 rendezvous with
comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.5
After flying past comet 9P/Tempel in 2005, The Deep Impact spacecraft continued operating
in an extended mission and was directed to perform a flyby of comet 103P/Hartley in 2010.
Deep Impact may be re-tasked yet again to perform a flyby of a PHA known as 2002 GT
during the year 2020. The Dawn mission is currently in orbit around 4 Vesta, the largest
known main belt asteroid (now understood to be a proto-planet thanks to data collected by
Dawn), and will proceed to rendezvous with the dwarf planet Ceres, also located in the main
asteroid belt, during the year 2015.5
There is no doubt that an asteroid, as soon as detected and tracked, can also be found and
reached by the HAIV spacecraft. Impacting the asteroid or comet has as such also been
done countless times before, such as by Deep Impact, but at bigger targets and with lower
speeds, so the precision needed for a short warning time interception mission of a 50-150m
asteroid or comet at speeds up to 30 km/s requires something more.
Terminal guidance
The HAIV system is a two-body space vehicle consisting of a fore body (LEADER) and an
aft body (FOLLOWER).
The LEADER spacecraft creates a kinetic-impact crater for the FOLLOWER spacecraft,
carrying a NED, to make a more effective explosion below the surface of the target asteroid
body.

After launch from the Earth, instruments
located on the LEADER spacecraft
detect the target asteroid or comet, and
a ‘terminal guidance system’ on-board
the HAIV becomes active.
Measurements continue through
optical/IR cameras located on the
LEADER spacecraft and an optimal
impact location is identified on the target
asteroid body.
The high-resolution optical/IR cameras
provides a continual stream of images of
the asteroid or comet to the terminal
guidance system, for a few last-moment
correction maneuvers.
In good time before interception the NED
payload (which is otherwise protected by
a great number of safety features,
preventing its detonation even if the
spacecraft itself should explode or burn
by accident) is armed, but never before a
safe height of some 100 km above the
Earth’s surface have been reached – the
NED will never be able to detonate
anywhere close to the surface.
Just before reaching the target, the
LEADER and FOLLOWER spacecrafts
separate to a distance of 10-30 meters,
before the leading small kinetic impactor
collides with the target asteroid or
comet. The FOLLOWER now enters the
crater and detonates the NED,
eliminating the asteroid or comet threat.

Development and Implementation
Our mission is to provide the HAIV technology as well as implement it, to allow for efficient
asteroid and comet interception, but we are providing neither the NED nor the launch
vehicle – NEDs are solely under the control of governments and the launch vehicles under
control by approved space companies such as United Launch Alliance, Roscosmos, ESA,
JAXA and SpaceX, etc..
As such EADP’s primary mission is to provide HAIV technology and demonstrators
capable of integrating with government controlled NEDs and third party launch vehicles,
and then ensure cooperation between these parties so they can act together when an
emergency asteroid or comet impact situation threatens.
Building a single HAIV is still no small feat of engineering, but on the other hand contains
no technology that doesn’t already exist. The development and construction of the first
HAIV is currently scheduled to be done by for example Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
(SSTL), an English company with a more than 25 year successful history of quickly
building small efficient satellites at a fraction of the cost of other providers. As such the first
HAIV will not be a billion dollars marvel of state-of-the-art technology, but rather a work-
horse spacecraft based on proven satellite components and certified by the relevant
agencies; as good and reliable as can be had for relatively small money, but also infinitely
better than nothing and safe to store and launch.
Even building a quite simple and small 100 kg HAIV, to have ready for the most probable
emergency of a less than 50 m asteroid (an estimated 95% of the millions of both tracked
and untracked asteroids surrounding Earth are less than 50 m) discovered shortly before it
will otherwise impact at a major city (an impact like that, centered on New York City, could
cost some 5.5 million lives and result in irreplaceable damages both physical and to the
world economy), costs a lot of time and money however, and our mission is not done with
that alone, which is why the EADP divides its work in several distinct phases, as shown
below.
The safety of Earth is EADP’s highest priority, and depending on the funds we can gain
the first HAIV that is constructed will maybe not be tested in space (although its
components and functions will be thoroughly tested on the ground) to ensure humanity has
at least one HAIV ready as soon as possible, if an impact emergency suddenly threatens –
then we rather accept there is a small chance the HAIV doesn’t work as intended (which is
indeed a very small chance; for example everything SSTL have built and launched to date
has worked fine), than having our only HAIV on a test when catastrophe suddenly
threatens Earth.
The HAIVs developed by EADP could also be used in a slightly modified version with the
NED and Leader craft exchanged for a single solid core, for kinetic impactor missions, in
the case of long warning time threat interception where the asteroid or comet have amble
time to be nudged off its course towards Earth. The kinetic impact HAIV version will
however normally not be enough when warning times are less than a few years; here a
classic HAIV mission with NED will still be necessary and for this reason the first few
HAIVs will generally be conserved for disruption and other spacecraft used for deflection.

1st Phase (18-24 month timeline – total cost $25M):
A small 100 kg HAIV able to carry a 10-30 kt NED that can pulverize up to 50m-diameter
asteroids (95% estimated asteroid population) and disrupt even bigger asteroids.
Untested, but ready on standby for delivery to government for mounting of NED and
launch by third party such as SpaceX:
 Technical design study: $200K.
 Detailed design study for small HAIV: $2M.
 Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
 Acquisition, purchase or construction of specific parts such as guidance equipment,
steering thrusters, main computer, etc.: $7M.
 Critical Design Review (CDR) to ensure that the design implementation has met the
requirements. Certifications and approvals gained.
 Successful tests of subsystems, such as the separation of leader and follower craft,
test of fuel system and thrusters at ground level, etc. $15M.
2nd Phase (12 month timeline – total cost $50M):
 Develop and build second 100kg HAIV for 50m-diameter asteroid defence
 Test second HAIV without NED, with a so-called ‘free ride’ from NASA
 Improve first HAIV (still on standby for emergency) based on the experiences
3rd Phase (12-18 month timeline – total cost $100M):
 Develop and build a pair of medium-size, ready-to-launch, HAIV system capable of
singularly protecting against <300m-asteroids (99.9% estimated asteroid
population) and against any size of asteroid or comet in groups.
 Test a single medium-size HAIV (with NED, if international law system can be made
to allow it)
 Improve
At this point the EADP will have funded and spent some $175M, but also provided the
basis for a system that will sooner or later save millions of lives and could potentially save
humanity from extinction. Maintenance is negligible compared to the development.
Assuming ‘just’ 1 million lives are saved sooner or later, this is incredibly low $175 per life,
less than almost any other active way of saving lives, with for example malaria nets
ranging around $2800 per life (and considered the best value charity) 3 – consider then
that the damage of just a single 50m asteroid impact will be counted in billions of dollars,
3 http://www.givewell.org/international/top-charities/amf, see by footnote marking 119

the ROI of the $175M is at least some 600%, even when not considering the lost lives.
Legal concerns
After a thorough analysis of EADP, esteemed space lawyer Prof. Frans Von Der Dunk 8
concluded the following:
Analysis of the main legal aspects of an EADP demonstration mission give rise to the clear
conclusion that such a mission would basically be in compliance with existing international
space law, existing international responsibilities and liabilities of the United States (as the
state under whose aegis such a mission will take place) and existing US domestic space
law, as long as certain parameters would be duly respected.
The launch into outer space and the missions conducted there would thus principally benefit
from the default freedom of activity, as long as for example not amounting to the stationing
or orbiting of NEDs but contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security
and accompanied by appropriate consultation with and information of the international
community, as long as the United States’ international responsibility and liability for the
mission would be duly taken care of through US domestic law, and as long as the risks of
generation of space debris are also properly addressed.
Existing domestic US law indeed would currently be able to take care of full compliance of
an EADP demonstration mission under the current scenario with these international legal
parameters, basically through the licensing system under the Commercial Space Launch
Act and general assessment of the mission by the FAA AST, payload review and liability-
related arrangements, including waivers of liability and insurance requirements.
Also the use of NASA’s Deep Space Network for indispensable interference-free usage of
radio communication with the EADP spacecraft would avert the risk of non-compliance with
relevant existing international law, as the existing ITU regime allows NASA in conjunction
with the US FCC appropriate opportunities to arrange for such usage for the benefit of the
mission.
Actually, in a number of respects such a mission would be encouraged especially under
international space law, as long as it is clearly and unequivocally aimed at serving the benefit
and interest of mankind and all countries in contributing to the development of technologies
and strategies to protect mankind or a major part thereof against asteroid threats.
Thus, it is essentially only for follow-up EADP actual missions using NEDs along the lines
of the HAIV model that a major legal obstacle would arise: the Partial Test Ban Treaty, to
which also the United States is a party, prohibits any nuclear explosion in outer space –
which, in principle, also includes NED operations for asteroid threat mitigation purposes.
The Treaty, however, was never meant to address ‘extra-terrestrial’ threats, but to minimize
the outbreak of nuclear conflict on earth in particular in a Cold War context and the risk of
escalation following suspicions regarding another party’s nuclear testing, by prohibiting any
nuclear explosion which could after all be seen as a veiled nuclear test or even threat, no
matter what the official label would be.

Apart therefore from the options to amend the treaty or to withdraw unilaterally from it, the
ultimate conclusion should be that arguing this provision to prohibit the use of a NED in an
emergency situation where a large-size asteroid would threaten mankind or a major part
thereof would be absurd and unreasonable, and should legally be discarded.
This is not to say, however, that in the present geo-political reality such a legal analysis
would be globally shared, and efforts should be undertaken at the international level to
minimise the potential for any ‘political fall-out’ that might result from the intended use of
NEDs in outer space in such emergency scenarios, preferably by way of open and
transparent information of, and as necessary consultation with, the other states of the world,
the United Nations and the global scientific community.
In order to maximize accommodation of its intended missions, demonstration as well as
actual, within the legal parameters sketched above, it would be recommended for the EADP
to:
 Address from an early stage onwards and in a continuing fashion the risk of ‘political
fall-out’ outside the United States which EADP missions might give rise to, in
particular as regards the use of NEDs in actual threat mitigation missions, by way of
information of and appropriate consultation with the other states of the world, the
United Nations and the global scientific community and by stressing the clear benefits
for and interests of all mankind and all states in the EADP missions. This should
notably involve the US Department of Foreign Affairs as being the representative of
the United States in international fora such as COPUOS and responsible for
defending US interests and rights in the international community.
 Determine early on its risk mitigation strategy and policy, in particular with a view to
the cross waiver of liability under US law and contractual liabilities vis-à-vis the launch
service providers, including insurance options.
 Consult at an early stage with the FAA AST on the various key aspects of the mission
with a view to licensing, in particular concerning general mission assessment,
payload review, 3rd party liability, liability towards the US government for the use of
federal launch sites, space debris mitigation strategy and the involvement of NEDs.
 Consult at an early stage with the envisaged launch service providers on the positions
to be asserted vis-à-vis the FAA AST with respect to the above points.
Consult at an early stage with NASA and the FCC on the use of the DSN for EADP missions
with a view to guaranteeing interference-free usage of radio frequencies for that purpose.9

Summary
Who are we?
We are a team of diverse passionate people fully employed and vested in EADP, whose
extraordinary goal is to save the Earth against asteroid incidence by implementing, enforcing
and ensuring the use of our Emergency Asteroid Defense Project (EADP) minimizing the
risk of casualties and damages due to asteroids and comets hitting Earth.
Our plan
Our extraordinary goal is to protect Earth and its inhabitants from the millions of dangerous
untracked asteroids and comets that cross our planet’s path.
We currently labor to develop, test, provide and ensure the use of the Hypervelocity Asteroid
Intercept Vehicle (developed by Dr. Bong Wie and the Asteroid Deflection Research Center
at Iowa State University) for emergency defence against asteroids and comets on collision
course with Earth in the nearest future.
Project phases
First phase:
 Crowdfunding campaign for $1 million as a goal, but with an aim of up to $10M.
 Advertise, promote and raise awareness regarding the current asteroid hazard
 Get public support
 Timeline: 18 – 24 months
Second phase:
 Raise $50 million through sponsorship and crowdfunding
 Develop and build second small 50 m diameter asteroid HAIV
 Test the second HAIV system based on experience
 Timeline estimated at 12 months
Third phase:
 Raise $100 mil. dollars through crowdfunding and sponsorship
 Develop and build medium –sized HAIV system capable of protecting against 300 m
diameter asteroids
 Timeline estimated 12 – 18 months

Conclusion
Huge craters all over the world are evidence of the many and enormous impacts of meteors
and asteroids on Earth over time. 65 million years ago an asteroid heralded the extinction
of the dinosaurs, and two years ago in February 2013 the Russian city Chelyabinsk was hit
by a meteor. Luckily only 1500 suffered injuries and the damages were ‘low’ $33 million.
Even if hard to comprehend because of its distance and rarity, THE THREAT IS REAL and
risks of being killed by an asteroid are statistically higher than many other things commonly
feared, such as terrorists and airplane crashes.
Luckily the threat can be stopped even at the last moment with advanced technology, such
as the Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle (HAIV) developed at Iowa State University,
and preferred by the EADP for its flexibility and safety.
Nevertheless there is astonishingly NO EXISTING SHORT-TERM DEFENCE solution or
plan readily available, due to governments and institutions being bound by international laws
and politics that unintentionally leaves them unable to act on this threat, before a true world-
threatening emergency arises – and then it will probably be much too late…
Governments do not take care of this threat, nor could EADP’s crowdfunding in 2015 due to
the cognitive dissonance psychological reaction12 that many of our readers probably still feel
at this point.
However, with a return on investment ratio of over 600% and millions of lives on the line
globally, there is a free market opening for developing and deploying emergency asteroid
defence vehicles to states and insurance companies, granting not only profits but also
increased global safety to shareholders.
At $25M for the smallest HAIV, even the Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013, with no lives lost and
‘only’ $33M in damages, had been an approx. $12M profit to deflect.
Maybe that is why the Russian Roscosmos has lately begun seriously investigating nuclear
asteroid deflection and disruption…
With your cooperation and investments, EADP can provide a solution, ready for when the
time comes!

References
1) Wie, B. et al., “An Innovative Solution to NASA’s NEO Impact Threat Mitigation Grand
Challenge and Flight Validation Mission Architecture Development”, Final Report of a
NIAC Phase 2 Study, December 2014.
2) Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies,
Report No. 0-309-14968-1, National Research Council, The National Academies Press,
2010.
3) Wie, B. et al., ”An Innovative Solution to NASA's NEO Impact Threat Mitigation Grand
Challenge and Flight Validation Mission Architecture Development”, Presented at NASA
SBAG Meeting, January 6-7, 2015.
4) “Effects of Nuclear Earth-Penetrator and Other Weapons”, National Research Council,
The National Academies Press, 2005.
5) Barbe, B. et al., “Conceptual Design of a Flight Validation Mission for a Hypervelocity
Asteroid Intercept Vehicle,” Acta Astronautica, Vol. 106, 2015, pp. 139-159.
6) Thorpe, D. Crowdfunding For Good Now A Growing Global Movement. Forbes online-
magazine, 2014
7) Roberts Space Industries Project, Experience a first person Universe project.
8) Prof. Frans Von Der Dunk, lawyer on the Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation established
by the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) in 2007, see full CV: http://law.unl.edu/frans-
von-der-dunk/
9) Frans Von Der Dunk, (2015), Report on legal parameters for an asteroid deflection
demonstration mission as part of the EADP, p. 31. http://asteroiddefence.com/files/Report-
on-legal-parameters-for-an-asteroid-deflection-demonstration-mission-as-part-of-the-
EADP.pdf
10) Thorpe, D. (2014) Crowdfunding For Good Now A Growing Global Movement. Forbes
online-magazine.
11) https://robertsspaceindustries.com/funding-goals
12) Rees, William (2010) What’s blocking sustainability? Human nature, cognition, and
denial. Vancouver: University of British Columbia.

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