who became very concerned about the impact hazard.

EP actually tried to estimate the impact hazard by using historical and proto historical records. He wrote a book "Man and Impact in the Americas", but was hit by a stroke before he could write its companion volumes, "Man and Impact in the Ancient Near East" and "Man and Impact in Europe".

Now EP for the most part simply repeats work and views developed years ago, particularly since his ability to type has returned to some degree.

As far as using NEOs for resources for Earth, the transportation costs are too high now, and likely to stay that way until some time in the indefinite future. NEO KY 26 may perhaps be used for manned Mars missions, though, and certainly the captured NMOs Phobos and Deimos will be used.

The up side in all of this is that the same technologies which will enable mankind to divert an impactor from the Earth may someday (perhaps in the next century, or the one after that) be used to divert an impactor into Mars, thus terraforming it to some degree by freeing its volatiles.