It won't be a miss next time! Center for Planetary Defense appeals to BRICS leaders

Earthlings once again missed the approach of a bus-sized asteroid. This time, on Friday 13 November 2020, asteroid 2020 VT4 was closer to our planet than the International Space Station (ISS)! This is a historic record. The asteroid was noticed with a delay, after the approach to the Earth. An asteroid of this size itself is not too dangerous. It is alarming that his approach went unnoticed, and this has already happened. The situation with asteroids begins to resemble a game of deadly roulette, when every next turn of the "wheel of happiness" can mean a cosmic catastrophe.

Given the seriousness of the asteroid threat, the Planetary Defense Center sent an appeal to the leaders of the interstate BRICS association. The text of the appeal is posted on the Center's website. In addition, the experts have prepared the Concept of the International Planetary Defense System Citadel.

"Novye Izvestia" publishes the text of the address of scientists:

PLANETARY PROTECTION CENTER

President of the Federative Republic of Brazil J. Bolsonaro

President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin

To the Prime Minister of India N. D. Modi

President of the People's Republic of China General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping

President of the Republic of South Africa S. Ramaphosa

Dear leaders of the interstate BRICS association!

We present to you the proposals for the organization by the BRICS association of work to protect the Earth from the asteroid-cometary hazard (ACO). The need to develop protective measures against ACO is indicated in the documents of the UN, PACE, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, the US Congress, as well as in the "Statement of the BRICS Civil Forum 2015".

The global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the fragility of our civilization and its unwillingness to confront global threats. However, the current situation gives only a faint idea of the possible catastrophic consequences of the fall of a large celestial body on our planet. In this case, humanity can be destroyed almost in an instant or thrown back centuries in its development. This can happen unexpectedly, as it happened on February 15, 2013 in the Chelyabinsk region. Therefore, it would be an unforgivable carelessness not to learn from the pandemic and not prepare in advance to repel ACO. This can be viewed as a kind of test for the ability to solve the global problems facing us.

To provide protection against ACO, an international Planetary Defense System (SDP) must be created. The BRICS countries have all the necessary technologies for this, many of which were developed for military purposes. And now the possibility of their use is provided not for destruction, but for the protection of humanity. The basis for the creation of the SDR can be the conceptual project of the international SDZ "Citadel" (Megaproject "Citadel"), developed by our Center and tested at dozens of international forums, including the UN Committee on Space.

In order to implement this project, we propose to adopt at the BRICS Summit a Decision on the creation of an SDR and financial support for the work. This will allow us in 2021, together with BRICS specialists, to develop the SDR System Project. This will require several million dollars. After that, using the funds of the BRICS countries and connecting the resources of other countries, it will be possible to develop and create all the components of the SDR. Thus, in the next 5-7 years, we will be able to put into operation the Rapid Response Echelon "Citadel-1", which is guaranteed to protect the Earth from asteroid and, in part, cometary hazards.

The SDR project may become the first global project of humanity, which will turn the Earth into an impregnable fortress - the Citadel, which protects us from the cosmic threat. In addition, its implementation will serve as a powerful stimulus for the technological development of the countries - developers of the System, as well as for the rallying of mankind in the face of a common danger.

This is fully consistent with the Summit theme - "BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Common Security and Innovative Growth." The creation of an SDR can become a practical embodiment of one of the provisions of the Ufa Declaration of the VII BRICS Summit, indicating the possibility of implementing megaprojects in the interests of scientific and technological breakthroughs in the main areas of cooperation provided for by the Memorandum of Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation between the Governments of the BRICS countries.

We ask you not to leave these proposals unattended, since the further fate of mankind and the Earth's biosphere, as well as cultural, spiritual, material and other values created by the labor of many generations over the millennia, will depend on your attitude towards them...

With deep respect,

A. V. Zaitsev General Director, Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics. K. E. Tsiolkovsky..."