Asteroids2029 endeavours to share this responsibility for connection and community through our Three Pillars:
- Increase worldwide public awareness and understanding of asteroids, using Apophis’ unique Earth close encounter as a catalyst to ignite global interest.
- Raise public understanding on a global scale about the risks asteroids can pose to Earth and what is being done to mitigate those risks across the globe.
- Expand ongoing efforts and showcase best practices for international collaboration for asteroid awareness and planetary defence.
The Goals of Asteroids2029 are further described:
1. Increase worldwide public awareness and understanding of asteroids, using Apophis’ unique Earth close encounter as a catalyst to ignite global interest.
a. Inspire broad global awareness of the nature and characteristics of asteroids and comets through local, regional, national and international activities.
b. Use the close approach of asteroid Apophis as a shared global moment to connect people with the science of near-Earth objects.
c. Share information about the ground- and space-based telescopes finding and characterizing asteroids, as well as in-situ spacecraft missions to asteroids.
d. Bring asteroid science into public spaces—museums, science centers, libraries, and community venues—to reach people beyond traditional STEM audiences.
e. Promote meaningful public participation in asteroid discovery and observation, including widespread access to sky-observing opportunities.
f. Honor and include Indigenous and traditional sky knowledge to foster dialogue between global cultural heritage and modern planetary science.
g. Engage children and young people globally with asteroids to stimulate a long-term increase in student enrollment in the fields of science and technology and an appreciation for lifelong learning.
h. Reach a broad range of global audiences and connect people through coordinated international storytelling and media efforts using as many ways of communicating as possible.
2. Raise public understanding on a global scale about the risks asteroids can pose to Earth and what is being done to mitigate those risks across the globe.
a. Strengthen public literacy about planetary defence, including how risks are assessed and the scientific process that leads to new understandings of impact risks and how to mitigate them.
b. Improve global understanding of asteroid impact hazards through clear, transparent, and accessible communication, and through local, regional, national and international activities.
c. Increase the awareness of the international community’s past, present, and future efforts related to planetary defence.
d. Provide interactive tools and narratives that help people explore asteroid impact risks and mitigation strategies in an understandable and engaging way.
e. Integrate planetary defence more fully into disaster management and risk reduction frameworks.
f. Encourage the development of technical solutions towards asteroid impact mitigation.
3. Expand ongoing efforts and showcase best practices for international collaboration for asteroid awareness and planetary defence.
a. Increase awareness of the ongoing international collaborations at the United Nations related to asteroids and planetary defence, including the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN), and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG).
b. Strengthen and expand participation of governments, space agencies, and other stakeholders in existing global networks for asteroid risk preparedness and response.
c. Inform a broad range of global audiences about the work space agencies and observatories are doing with asteroids and share news and information about ground- and space-based observatories.
d. Promote capacity-building activities to empower astronomers and planetary defence communities in emerging and developing countries by engaging them in international collaborations.
e. Connect amateur astronomers, educators, planetary defenders, scientists, and communication professionals through local, regional, national and international activities.
f. Engage global communities, governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations to collaboratively elevate global preparedness for asteroid impact risks.