Today, at a meeting of asteroid and comet scientists in Washington, D.C., NASA officials explained some of the new rules for the next mission, to be selected in 2016. (sciencemag.org)
Although no planets have been detected orbiting Tau Ceti as yet, it is likely that any planet found to orbit within the star's dust disk would experience relatively frequent bombardment from asteroids and comets of the size that is believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and other types of multi-cellular life on Earth. (members.nova.org)
«When I began surveying for asteroids and comets in 1992, a near - Earth object discovery was a rare event,» said Tim Spahr, director of the Minor Planet Center. (sciencedaily.com)