§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what monitoring her Department has undertaken of the asteroid 2002 EM7 and its orbit. [46007]
§ Ms HewittAsteroid 2002 EM7 was first observed on 12 March 2002, four days after it had passed within 500,000 km of the Earth, a distance greater than that between the Earth and the Moon. The object had not been detected previously because its approach had been from the direction of the Sun. Observations have determined that the object takes 323 days to orbit the Sun, and that its next close approach to the Earth will occur on 1 July 2011, at a minimum distance more than eight times greater than that of 8 March 2002. The size of 2002 EM7 is estimated to he between 50 and 100 m.
The Government's approach to Near Earth Objects (NEOs) is to work with its international partners to develop a complementary and co-ordinated response to what is, by its nature, a global issue. A National NEO Information Centre has been established at the National Space Science Centre in Leicester to provide objective information on NEOs to the public and media.