Six years ago, a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia injuring over 1,500 people and damaging 7,000 buildings across six cities.

This event caused people around the world to ask:

What are we doing about asteroids?

The answer is: A whole lot.

Scientists at the Asteroid Institute are building detection tools to predict events like these and researching deflection missions scenarios to give us the capability to prevent them.

Our Asteroid Education team has been leading the public conversation on asteroids since before Chelyabinsk and every year since by helping Asteroid Day grow to 80+ countries and spread the word about asteroid science and their risks and opportunities.

Every year, on the Chelyabinsk anniversary, people ask us:

What can I do to help?

The answer is: You can help spread the word.

I’m asking you to take the time today to mention asteroids to one person – a friend, a family member, a colleague – and remind them that asteroids aren’t just part of science fiction. Their effects are real and, if we come together as a planet, so is our ability to visit them, learn from them, and stop them.

Danica Remy, B612