NASA is heading to the Sundance Film Festival for the first time for a panel about a new documentary. The NASA-produced film Planetary Defenders is about the Planetary Defense Coordination Office. The organization was featured in Netflix's too-real-to-be-funny Don't Look Up and is tasked with identifying and tracking near-Earth objects.
While asteroids or comets striking the Earth is a popular science fiction trope, the risk is real, and scientists say it is not a matter of "if" but "when." Dr. Vishnu Reddy, a Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Arizona, points out that "The dinosaurs went extinct because they didn't have a space program. We do have one." The documentary will be available on NASA's streaming platform, NASA Plus, in April 2025.
Side note: The Planetary Defense Coordination Office has a fantastic logo.
The motto "Hic Servare Diem" means "Here to Save the Day." Mighty Mouse would approve.
Previously: NASA monitoring asteroid with 1 in 625 chance of hitting Earth on Valentine's Day 2046
