Planetary Defense and an Energy Infrastructure for Near Earth Space
Fork, R.; Burgess, L.; Bergstue, G.; Gaillard, R.; Dept. of Electr./Comput. Eng., Univ. of Alabama Huntsville, Huntsville, AL, USA
Proceedings of the IEEE
Issue Date: March 2011
Volume: 99 Issue:3
On page(s): 359 - 362
ISSN: 0018-9219
INSPEC Accession Number: 11821910
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/JPROC.2010.2096250
Date of Current Version: 17 February 2011
Sponsored by: IEEE
Abstract:
The White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), in response to recent Congressional action, assigned National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) the task of: "(A) protecting the United States from a near-Earth object that is expected to collide with Earth; and (B) implementing a deflection Digital Object campaign. A "functional analysis" of the task was recommended. A planetary defense strategy was considered to such an analysis. Using lasers in space for planetary defense and space energy infrastructure will reduce the current cost of lift to orbit, remove debris from space, assist in rescuing astronauts in difficulty, and deliver energy to other resources in space, and possibly, even eventually to Earth.
Link: IEEE XPlore
