B612 and NASA Dialog on how to Deal with Apophis

Apophis is not your typical Near Earth Asteroid. Although it may collide with Earth in 2036, it's giving us a lot of notice, and is also kind enough to make a close flyby first, giving us plenty of opportunity to study it and figure out how to deflect it.

"During its close passage by the Earth on April 13 2029, it is possible (but improbable) that asteroid Apophis will pass through a keyhole leading to a collision in 2036. Recent concern has centered on how to evaluate the possibility of a collision in 2036 and take action, if necessary, to deflect the asteroid."

The most interesting part of the discussion is that there is no US Government agency assigned the responsibility to detect such threats, let alone deal with them. A private group, the B612 Foundation, had to bring this to NASA's attention. A 1995 AAIA Postion Paper on the potential threat of a NEO impact summarized the foolishness of this very well, and yet here we are over a decade later:

If some day an asteroid does strike the Earth, killing not only the human race but millions of other species as well, and we could have prevented it but did not because of indecision, unbalanced priorities, imprecise risk definition and incomplete planning, then it will be the greatest abdication in all of human history not to use our gift of rational intellect and conscience to shepherd our own survival, and that of all life on Earth