Katie Kumamoto

Megan Bruck Syal, a physicist and former leader of the Planetary Defense Program, teams up with Katie Kumamoto, the current leader, to discuss the urgent need for planetary defense. They explore the realities of asteroid threats, from Chelyabinsk's explosive event to ongoing research at Lawrence Livermore. The duo explains asteroid structures and the significance of deflective missions, especially NASA's successful DART mission. They emphasize the importance of international collaboration to prepare for potential civilization-ending impacts and the evolution of strategies to mitigate these threats.