Earth may have survived its close encounters with an asteroid
and a meteor Friday, but the episodes focused new attention on
gaps in astronomers' ability to identify smaller space rocks
like these capable of inflicting widespread destruction. Efforts
to better identify those threats are underway, including a new
space telescope from a Silicon Valley foundation, and a
coordinated telescope system in Hawaii. "We're carrying out the
most ambitious private interplanetary space mission ever. We're
building a space telescope, we're going to find them and track
them so we have decades of notice before another one of these
hits," says Ed Lu, a former shuttle and International Space
Station astronaut who heads the B612 Foundation. If it is able
to raise $450 million, the scientists plan to launch a meteor-
mapping satellite in 2017 or 2018. Hits on its website increased
more than 1,000% in the past two days, said spokeswoman Diane
Murphy. "We have received tens of thousands of dollars in
contributions from private onli