Information circulated on the cambridge-conference network is for scholarly use only. The attached text may not be reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the copyright holder. Even though it sounds as pointless as distinguishing between a ferret and a weasel, evaluating whether the impactor that detonated with an energy of several tens of megatonnes over the Tunguska river in 1908 was an asteroid or a comet is more than an esoterical exercise. Despite the fact that the Tunguska event resulted in no more than a biocrater, the detonation of a body of this size could, given a less fortunate trajectory, result in fatalities measured in tens of millions. It could look like an attempt to pre-empt the BNSC report.
Public interest is sufficient to warrant press interest, and is growing.
As Spaceguard UK activities continue to ramp up, public interest is growing steadily, and the increasing rate of NEO discovery will inevitably lead to repeats of the XF11 and AN10 affairs. Quite when the BNSC report will be submitted to the minister remains an unknown, as does the decision resulting from it. If the government proves to be unwilling to support the proposal, I have some other irons in the fire. However, as I have already said, I am confident that the case speaks for itself, and that our scientists and politicians must be too savvy to ignore it, thereby missing a golden opportunity. It is not often that the UK has the chance to assume a leadership role these days, but this is one area in which we could so easily become ground breakers.