To develop procedures for assuring a rapid communication of accurate information about Extremely Hazardous Objects which may be detected in the future. To draft and discuss Recommendations to be distributed to the scientific and political bodies able to support and fund NEO researches. The structure of meeting was to hold an initial plenary session during which the conference was briefed on a number of topics, to bring everyone fully up to date with recent developments. These recommendations, once agreed by the sub-groups were then discussed at another plenary session where they were agreed by the floor, or not. So, below are some bullet points, to be followed by a full report as soon as the results are published.
Actual impacts are likely to be preceded by prior close approaches.
Comets pose a much smaller risk than asteroids. Issues of funding and national interest need to be addressed. The issue of whether asteroids are rubble piles or solid bodies is still unresolved. This information is very necessary for any mitigation strategies. We need 4m-10m class telescopes to do compositional studies on NEOs.