Nasa lacks funds to build telescopes for spotting rogue asteroids

NASA is charged with spotting most of the asteroids that pose a threat to Earth, but doesn’t have the money to complete the job.

That’s because, even though Congress assigned the space agency that mission four years ago, it never gave Nasa the money to build the necessary telescopes, according to a report released by the National Academy of Sciences.

The mission calls for Nasa, by the year 2020, to locate 90% of the potentially deadly rocks hurtling through space. The agency says it’s been able to complete about one-third of its assignment with the telescope system.