1998 Asteroid Crisis

The 1998 Asteroid Crisis is a thwarted asteroid impact event that was halted by astronauts and cosmonauts of the United States Air Force and Russian Space Forces, respectively. The asteroid designated 1997 SH17 and was discovered by astronomers with the Lunar Telescope Array. It was declared to have a Near-Earth Object Hazard Index number of 10 indicating a certain and devastating impact event if it ultimately occured. The event called global attention to the problem of Near-Earth crosser asteroids and emboldened support of planetary protection protocols. The event was also a major contributing factor in the creation of the United States Space Command as a separate independent branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.