The radar system at Arecibo Observatory plays a unique role in the ongoing effort to identify and characterize near-Earth objects (NEOs), according to a final report to Congress; and immediate action is necessary to keep it operating.

The report, "Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies," examines NASA's progress in meeting two Congressional mandates to search for NEOs that could be potential threats to Earth.

Prepared by a committee appointed by the National Research Council (the operational arm of the National Academy of Sciences), the report cites Arecibo in Puerto Rico and the Goldstone Solar System Radar in southern California as vital and complementary systems in identifying and characterizing NEOs.

It's more good news for the observatory and for Cornell, which manages Arecibo for the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC). An interim report released in September was similarly supportive.

"The committee's strong endorsement of the importance of Arecibo for the tracking and characterization of near-Earth objects, especially the ones that may pose a hazard to Earth, is very welcome and timely," said Don Campbell, NAIC director and professor of astronomy. "We hope that NASA and the NSF take seriously the committee's strong recommendation that the Arecibo program be supported."

Arecibo's future has been in jeopardy since 2006, when an advisory panel to the NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences recommended that the observatory's operating budget be reduced to $8 million from $10.5 million over three years, and then halved to $4 million in 2011. Such a drastic reduction could force Arecibo to close.

In 1998, Congress charged NASA with discovering 90 percent of NEOs 1 kilometer in diameter or larger within 10 years. And in 2005, the George E. Brown Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act (which was introduced but not passed) directed the agency to identify 90 percent of all NEOs 140 meters or larger by 2020.

NASA has made significant progress toward both goals, the final report finds, but has not received sufficient funding to meet them fully.