Position Paper on Asteroids

Committee: UNOOSA

Topic: Defense for Incoming Asteroids

Country: Afghanistan

Defense for Incoming Asteroids and Space Debris

Background

Although asteroids seem to be a miniscule threat at best, it is one that should not be taken lightly. For if an asteroid large enough were to hit Earth, it should shatter the world as we know it. One asteroid that has a 1/250,000 chance to hit our planet would be the 99942 Apophis, a 270 meter asteroid which is destined to impact Earth on April 13, 2036. Although this is a miniscule chance for our planet to be even effected, precautions still need to be taken in order to protect our planet from certain destruction. Since the 1960s, the world has always wondered about the majesty of the universe and the cosmos, however, we blatantly disregarded the extreme dangers of the unknown including asteroids. Asteroids and space debris whip around our planet almost every year, including the one asteroid that missed our planet by only 7,600 miles in 2011. It is the defense of Earth against these asteroids and other space debris that will yield our protection against these threats that lie waiting to strike our atmosphere.

UN Involvement

Although many nations or people feel that this problem will never affect them, the United Nations has actually taken some action in illustrating a defense for Earth. COPUOS, or the Committee of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, has set guidelines for nations to follow. These guidelines include the limitation of space debris in Earth's atmosphere, protect against satellite collisions against space debris and asteroids, and to avoid international destruction against asteroids. The European Space Agency, or the ESA, has sponsored the Planetary Defense Conference three times and has contributed towards the defense of Earth by making the "Deflection Formula" Because many of the research is done outside the UN, funding has been low in regarding this topic. It is working with these outside forces which will create the best and most integrated solutions for mankind.

Country Policy

Currently, Afghanistan does not have a space program; however that does not mean that we do not have a policy towards the defense of Earth. We strictly want to promote more integrated solutions dealing with larger nations. For this reason, we want to work in correlation with these larger nations to implement our ideas through them, since funding is at a minimum for Afghanistan at the moment. Because of this, Afghanistan feels that if an international agreement is met with larger nations and more underdeveloped nations that better solutions can be met.

Country Solutions

Afghanistan knows