Planetary Defense Workshop

Join us for another edition of the Planetary Defense Program’s Special Session, “Look Up, It’s an Asteroid!” Founded in 2024 by Nancy C. Wolfson at the National Space Society’s (NSS) International Space Development Conference (ISDC), this Planetary Defense (PD) program features an annual Technical Track, a dedicated information Booth-Table, and a high-level Planetary Defense Special Session designed to unite various branches of government, space agencies, and international organizations. Our PD Special Sessions and Workshops facilitate critical dialogue on comprehensive solutions across all areas of detecting, monitoring, understanding, predicting, preparing for, and mitigating near-Earth objects (NEOs).

As we approach the UN-endorsed International Year of Planetary Defence in 2029 (IYPD 2029), our platform expands the conversation from defending Earth to safeguarding the Moon and beyond. Our experts will discuss the latest developments and operational challenges across space situational awareness, mitigation technology demonstrations, and post-impact characterization. The session will explore past and ongoing asteroid missions, utilizing data from NASA’s DART mission and ESA’s HERA spacecraft to validate deflection models, while also addressing how threats like Apophis or 2024 YR4 navigate on and off the Torino Scale.

Our innovative, multi-generational Industry and NextGen demographic format invites our audience to participate in a survey designed to contribute to our understanding of public knowledge transfer. This data will be shared with the international planetary defense and NEO community, aiming to help close the gap between experts and non-experts to strengthen regional and global preparedness. Furthermore, the program explores the policy shift from reactive panic to a pre-funded, rapid-response infrastructure, examining economic models and financial ‘safe harbors’ that could secure instant liquidity the moment a threat is verified. Concluding this framework, we highlight the coined ‘Look Up’ protocols—a strategic communications initiative designed to make official scientific terminology and concepts accessible to decision-makers, the media, and the general public.

TOPIC 2026: The Johns Hopkins APL DART Mission Team: Hitting an Asteroid-From Dimorphos to Didymos and Beyond

MODERATOR: Nancy C. Wolfson, NSS ISDC Planetary Defense Program Manager, Space Education Professional, AIAA.

Embark on the 3rd edition of the NSS ISDC Planetary Defense Special Session, “Look Up: It’s an Asteroid,” a hybrid session tailored for Industry and NextGen with a synergistic approach. Join leaders from the Johns Hopkins APL DART Mission Team for an in-depth exploration of NASA’s historic first planetary defense test mission.

This session provides a unique opportunity to hear firsthand about the complex science and engineering behind the mission’s success. Speakers Dr. Elena Adams, Dr. Angela Stickle, Michelle Chen, and Dr. Andy Rivkin will share insights into the challenges faced during development and execution while discussing how to build on the data and findings learned from DART.

This synergistic discussion builds on the success of the DART mission. Dr. Quanzhi Ye highlights the vital role of ground- and space-based observations in identifying threats like Apophis or 2024 YR4 as they climb the Torino Scale, while James Anthony Wolff and Nancy C. Wolfson explore shifting the global strategy from reactive panic to pre-funded, rapid-response frameworks.

By examining economic “safe harbors” and PD “Look Up” protocols, we aim to unify experts and decision-makers, ensuring that milestones like DART serve as definitive models for preparedness and response to future hazardous threats. We invite you to participate in our NSS ISDC planetary defense survey and contribute to the international efforts to defend Earth from hazardous asteroids.