"NASA's Protocols for Alerting Public About Potential Asteroid Strike"

NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office is tasked with identifying and tracking potentially hazardous asteroids, with a focus on those that could cause an extinction event. In the event of an imminent doomsday impact, a global coalition of astronomers would be warned, and if necessary, the White House or the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs would be involved. NASA has tested deflection methods, including diverting a space rock with a spacecraft and using a "gravity tractor" technique, to prevent a catastrophic collision. The agency aims to prevent a mass extinction event by identifying threats well in advance and developing effective deflection techniques.