The Office of Inspector General's audit of NASA's Planetary Defense Strategy and Action Plan recognizes the agency's progress in identifying near-Earth objects (NEOs) while revealing serious governance and resource deficiencies. Praise was given for successful missions like the Double Asteroid Redirection Test and the upcoming NEO Surveyor project. However, staffing constraints, particularly having only one employee overseeing the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, coupled with plans lacking detailed long-term strategy and interagency collaboration, jeopardize the efforts to protect Earth from potential asteroid impacts.
NASA's Planetary Defense efforts, while praised for initiatives like the NEO Surveyor, are hampered by staffing shortages and inadequate governance structures.
The audit highlighted that only one employee manages the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, reflecting the systemic issues threatening the effectiveness of NASA's strategy.
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