This area will cover relevant news of the threat to the planet from Near Earth Objects (NEOs) including concepts and designs for mitigation. All opinions are those of the author.

03 January 2011

Presentation: Near Earth Object Research at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology

Summary from Haithem A. Altwaijry, Space Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October, 2010 on their NEO work. Presentation was given at the Saudi International Space and Aeronautics Technology Conference 2010. Rusty Schweickart also had a presentation there.

Summary of KACST research follows:

- 2007 KACST participates with Texas A & M University in developing conceptual designs for a space craft to track the asteroid Apophis.

- 2008 KACST/TAMU team develop design for an Apophisrendezvous and tracking space craft.

- 2009 Establishment of National Lunar and NEO research center at KACST.
Affiliate member with NLSI

- KACST/TAMU work on Asteroid mitigation.
Participation at the International Symposium on Near‐Earth Hazardous Asteroids –Malta.

- 2010 KACST/TAMU develop:
A Mission Template for Exploration and Mitigation of Potentially Hazardous Near Earth Asteroids using the Yarkovskyeffect

Link: Presentation ("Near Earth Object Research atKing Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology," PDF)

Link: Presentation ("Challenges and Achievements of Space Missions: Protecting the Earth," PDF)
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