ASE International Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation. Prunariu was the main interface in promoting the ASE International Panel's Report Asteroid Threats: A Call For Global Response at the level of the UN COPUOS as a working document for the specialized bodies of this UN Committee. In 2016, at the 53rd session of UN STS COPUOS, on behalf of the Association of Space Explorers, Prunariu proposed the proclamation by the UN General Assembly of the International Asteroid Day to observe each year at the international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908 and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard. The proposal was adopted by the UN General Assembly at its 71st session in October 2016. Asteroid Day co-founders declared Prunariu as the 1st Official Asteroid Day Ambassador for his great service and for helping protect Planet Earth from asteroid impacts. In October 2010, at the XXIII Congress of the ASE, D. Prunariu was elected the President of the new organized Chapter of the association, ASE Europe, holding this position for 6 years. At the XXIV Congress of ASE, in September 2011 D. Prunariu was elected for a three years term the President of ASE International. Publications Prunariu is a co-author of several books regarding space technology and space flight and has presented/published numerous scientific papers. His PhD thesis produced new developments in the field of space flight dynamics. Personal life Prunariu is married to Crina Prunariu, a retired diplomat from the Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has two sons and three grandchildren. He is the voice of the robot BURN-E in the Romanian dubbed version of the animated film WALL-E made by Disney Pixar. Awards and honors In 1981, after completing the Soyuz 40 mission, Prunariu received the awards of Hero of the Socialist Republic of Romania and Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1982 Prunariu was awarded the Yuri Gagarin medal of the International Astronautic Federation. In 1984 he was awarded the Hermann Oberth Gold Medal by the German Rocket Society Hermann Oberth – Wernher von Braun. On 1 December 2000, Prunariu was appointed a Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Romania. On 1 December 2010 he was awarded by the President of Romania the Order Aeronautical virtue. On 12 April 2011 Prunariu was awarded by the President of the Russian Federation the Medal for