23 February 2012
Asteroids, Comets, Meteors (ACM) 2012 Abstract Deadline
Asteroids, Comets, Meteors (ACM) 2012
Abstract Deadline Approaching
The Asteroids, Comets, Meteors (ACM) 2012 conference will be held May 16–20, 2012, in Niigata, Japan, at TOKI Messe (Niigata Convention Center). It is the premier international gathering of scientists who study small bodies. The ACM series began in 1983 in Uppsala, Sweden, as a means of bringing together different groups within the asteroid, comet, and meteor communities who do not often have the opportunity to interact. From this first ACM meeting, a regular conference began. The conference now takes place every three years, and it is the pre-eminent meeting for small-bodies research, with attendance usually in excess of 400. The 2012 ACM meeting will be the 11th in the series and will be the first held in the Asian region.
The scope of presentations and discussion is broad, including all topics related to asteroids, comets, and meteors. Examples include discovery and cataloguing of objects, observations of meteor showers by radar, modeling the gas production of comets, and plans for future asteroid sample returns.
The abstract submission form is available on the USRA/LPI website:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/acm2012/
Abstracts (one page) may be submitted for oral or poster presentation. Authors are limited to ONE request for oral presentation, unless they are an invited speaker. The abstract submission is managed by the USRA (LPI) Meeting Portal. If you have not yet accessed the Meeting Portal, you will be requested to create a personal profile before the abstract submission. ALL abstracts MUST be converted to PDF format before submission.
Schedule:
28 February 2012
Abstract deadline
Deadline for Financial Support Application (if possible)
15 March 2012
Deadline for early registration at reduced rate
Deadline for visa assistance
31 March 2012
Conference program available on website
16 May 2012
Open for on-site registration
For more information, visit: http://chiron.mtk.nao.ac.jp/ACM2012/
or contact: ACM2012@pub.mtk.nao.ac.jp
http://chiron.mtk.nao.ac.jp/ACM2012/
07 February 2012
Reports from Action Team on Near Earth Objects at 49th COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee Meeting
Action Team on Near-Earth Objects provides an update at the forty-ninth session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space that was held from 6-17 February 2012 at the United Nation Office at Vienna, Vienna International Center, Vienna, Austria.
Scientific and Technical Subcommittee: 2012
Forty-ninth session 6-17 February 2012 Near-Earth objects
2011-2012 Draft recommendations of the Action Team on Near-Earth Objects for an international response to the near-Earth object impact threat
Link: PDF document (English)
Near-Earth objects, 2011-2012 Interim report of the Action Team on Near-Earth Objects
Link: PDF document (English)
Link: Online documents (Scientific and Technical Subcommittee: 2012)
Scientific and Technical Subcommittee: 2012
Forty-ninth session 6-17 February 2012 Near-Earth objects
2011-2012 Draft recommendations of the Action Team on Near-Earth Objects for an international response to the near-Earth object impact threat
Link: PDF document (English)
Near-Earth objects, 2011-2012 Interim report of the Action Team on Near-Earth Objects
Link: PDF document (English)
Link: Online documents (Scientific and Technical Subcommittee: 2012)
29 January 2012
NEOShield News ($5.3M EU Planetary Defense Study)
From a paper on the NEOShield project...
There is currently no concerted international plan addressing the impact threat and how to organize, prepare and implement mitigation measures. We report on a new international project to address impact hazard mitigation issues, being the subject of a proposal to the European Commission in response to the 2011 FP7 Call “Prevention of impacts from near-Earth objects on our planet”. Our consortium consists of 13 research institutes, universities, and industrial partners and includes leading US and Russian space organizations. The primary aim of the project, NEOShield, is to investigate in detail the three most promising mitigation techniques: the kinetic impactor, blast deflection, and the gravity tractor, and devise feasible demonstration missions. Furthermore, we will investigate options for an international strategy for implementation when an actual impact threat arises.
From one of the articles on the NEOShield project...
In response to these worries, the European Commission recently decided to invest €4 million ($5.3 million) in the NEOShield project. An additional €1.8 million will come from scientific institutions and industry partners. Within three years' time, the experts hope to draw up a blueprint for a test mission. If it can find a financial backer, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), the mission could be launched as early as 2020.
In reality, however, a host of ideas have already been proposed for how to deal with an approaching asteroid. For example, there's the "kinetic impactor" idea, which envisions using a massive projectile to knock an asteroid off course. And there's the "gravity tractor" idea, which entails having a small probe hover near the asteroid and use its gravitational traction to deflect it from its Earth-bound course. Some have even proposed an approach to the problem that would involve launching an all-out attack with nuclear missiles.
"Of course, a lot of things have already been proposed," Harris says. "But, so far, most of them have come from a single institution, perhaps even from a single person. So it has been hard to pursue them." The new project aims to systematically investigate all of the mitigation methods that have already been proposed. "That will take place on paper and in lab experiments, since we don't have the money to do more than that," says Wolfram Lork, who handles the involvement of Astrium, a subsidiary of the European aerospace giant EADS, in the project.
Link: Space.com
Link: NEOShield paper (PDF)
Agenda and Findings of 6th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group Meeting
From January 17-18, 2012 in Washington, DC USA, there was the 6th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group.
The agenda, selected presentations, and findings are now online.
Here are the findings...
SBAG 6 FINDINGS
Finding 1. The SBAG is pleased that the PDS Small Bodies Node is developing an interface to search the numerous and diverse data sets related to small bodies. The Data Ferret has a nice interface for returning information about data on individually identified objects. At present, this is limited primarily to asteroid data and needs to include its comet data holdings. The ability to conduct more sophisticated SQLEtype queries is very desired, as is a means of intelligently sifting through large volumes of imaging, spectral and other data accumulated by spacecraft for individual objects (e.g., Eros, Hartley 2, and in the near future Vesta) – perhaps using tools similar to those available for searching data on Mars and the Moon. We request regular updates on these tools at our SBAG meetings.
Finding 2. The B612 initiative to build a largely privately funded NEO survey telescope is potentially exciting. However, before NASA invests any of its limited resources in supporting this venture, there should be an external peer review of the mission design to ensure that it will satisfy NASA needs, which need to be articulated first, and that those needs are cost effectively addressed. If the level of needed investment by PSD is equivalent to a Discovery MoO or Discovery mission, then such support should be sought through open competition from those programs.
Finding 3. Any contribution of instruments or sampling systems by NASA to the ESA Marco Polo mission should be subject to open competition among potential providers.
The agenda, selected presentations, and findings are now online.
Here are the findings...
SBAG 6 FINDINGS
Finding 1. The SBAG is pleased that the PDS Small Bodies Node is developing an interface to search the numerous and diverse data sets related to small bodies. The Data Ferret has a nice interface for returning information about data on individually identified objects. At present, this is limited primarily to asteroid data and needs to include its comet data holdings. The ability to conduct more sophisticated SQLEtype queries is very desired, as is a means of intelligently sifting through large volumes of imaging, spectral and other data accumulated by spacecraft for individual objects (e.g., Eros, Hartley 2, and in the near future Vesta) – perhaps using tools similar to those available for searching data on Mars and the Moon. We request regular updates on these tools at our SBAG meetings.
Finding 2. The B612 initiative to build a largely privately funded NEO survey telescope is potentially exciting. However, before NASA invests any of its limited resources in supporting this venture, there should be an external peer review of the mission design to ensure that it will satisfy NASA needs, which need to be articulated first, and that those needs are cost effectively addressed. If the level of needed investment by PSD is equivalent to a Discovery MoO or Discovery mission, then such support should be sought through open competition from those programs.
Finding 3. Any contribution of instruments or sampling systems by NASA to the ESA Marco Polo mission should be subject to open competition among potential providers.
17 September 2011
Upcoming Book on Outer Space Resources Law: "Law and Regulation of Commercial Mining of Minerals in Outer Space"
A new book from Dr. Ricky Lee entitled "Law and Regulation of Commercial Mining of Minerals in Outer Space (Space Regulations Library)" from Springer Press (Due: February 10, 2012). From Springer Press...
This monograph addresses the legal and policy issues relating to the commercial exploitation of natural resources in outer space. It begins by establishing the economic necessity and technical feasibility of space mining today, an estimate of the financial commitments required, followed by a risk analysis of a commercial mining venture in space, identifying the economic and legal risks. This leads to the recognition that the legal risks must be minimised to enable such projects to be financed. This is followed by a discussion of the principles of international space law, particularly dealing with state responsibility and international liability, as well as some of the issues arising from space mining activities. Much detail is devoted to the analysis of the content of the common heritage of mankind doctrine. The monograph then attempts to balance such interests in creating a legal and policy compromise to create a new regulatory regime.
Content Level » Research Keywords » Asteroids - Celestial Bodies - Comets - Commercial Exploration - Common Heritage of Mankind - Economic Prospects of Mining - Exploitation Rights - Extraction of Mineral Resources - International Space Law - Lander Mission - Lex Specialis Priniciple - Mineral Resources - Moon Agreement - Outer Space Treaty - Planets - Space Law - Space Mining - Technological Prospects of Mining - The Wellington Convention Related subjects » Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences - Law - Mineralogy & Sedimentology
TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures.- List of Tables.- Glossary.- Table of Abbreviations.- Table of Reports, Series and Journal Titles.- Acknowledgements.- Chapter I Introduction and Overview.- Chapter II Economic and Technical Prospects of Mining on Celestial Bodies.- Chapter III State Responsibility and Liability for Compliance with International Space Law.- Chapter IV Rights and Duties in the Commercial Exploration and Extraction of Mineral Resources on Celestial Bodies.- Chapter V Exploitation Rights: Evolving from the “Province of Mankind” to the “Common Heritage of Mankind”.- Chapter VI Meeting the Challenges and Balancing the Competing Interests in Creating a Legal and Regulatory Framework.- Chapter VII Concluding Observations.- References.- Index.
Link: Springer Books
Link: Amazon.com
This monograph addresses the legal and policy issues relating to the commercial exploitation of natural resources in outer space. It begins by establishing the economic necessity and technical feasibility of space mining today, an estimate of the financial commitments required, followed by a risk analysis of a commercial mining venture in space, identifying the economic and legal risks. This leads to the recognition that the legal risks must be minimised to enable such projects to be financed. This is followed by a discussion of the principles of international space law, particularly dealing with state responsibility and international liability, as well as some of the issues arising from space mining activities. Much detail is devoted to the analysis of the content of the common heritage of mankind doctrine. The monograph then attempts to balance such interests in creating a legal and policy compromise to create a new regulatory regime.
Content Level » Research Keywords » Asteroids - Celestial Bodies - Comets - Commercial Exploration - Common Heritage of Mankind - Economic Prospects of Mining - Exploitation Rights - Extraction of Mineral Resources - International Space Law - Lander Mission - Lex Specialis Priniciple - Mineral Resources - Moon Agreement - Outer Space Treaty - Planets - Space Law - Space Mining - Technological Prospects of Mining - The Wellington Convention Related subjects » Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences - Law - Mineralogy & Sedimentology
TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures.- List of Tables.- Glossary.- Table of Abbreviations.- Table of Reports, Series and Journal Titles.- Acknowledgements.- Chapter I Introduction and Overview.- Chapter II Economic and Technical Prospects of Mining on Celestial Bodies.- Chapter III State Responsibility and Liability for Compliance with International Space Law.- Chapter IV Rights and Duties in the Commercial Exploration and Extraction of Mineral Resources on Celestial Bodies.- Chapter V Exploitation Rights: Evolving from the “Province of Mankind” to the “Common Heritage of Mankind”.- Chapter VI Meeting the Challenges and Balancing the Competing Interests in Creating a Legal and Regulatory Framework.- Chapter VII Concluding Observations.- References.- Index.
Link: Springer Books
Link: Amazon.com
10 September 2011
B612 Foundation Website Update
The B612 Foundation has updated its website.
About them...
The B612 is a non-profit organization founded by a group of astronauts and scientists whose goal is to predict and prevent catastrophic asteroid impacts on Earth. B612 aims to find potentially threatening asteroids, track their trajectories, and to demonstrate the technology to alter the orbit of an asteroid in a controlled manner.
About them...
The B612 is a non-profit organization founded by a group of astronauts and scientists whose goal is to predict and prevent catastrophic asteroid impacts on Earth. B612 aims to find potentially threatening asteroids, track their trajectories, and to demonstrate the technology to alter the orbit of an asteroid in a controlled manner.
09 September 2011
SGAC Announces the Winner of the 2011 Move an Asteroid Competition ("Smart Cloud" for Asteroid Mitigation)
The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) announced the winner of its 2011 Move An Asteroid International Technical Paper Competition. Here is the announcement from SGAC. The winner, Alison Gibbings, is currently is currently a PhD student at the University of Strathclyde within the Advanced Concept Laborator in Glasgow, Scotland. She will be on National Public Radio (NPR) radio show Science Friday. Here is the NPR show information.
Her proposal outlined in the paper is for a "Smart Cloud" utilizing, multiple small particles for momentum transfer for asteroid deflection.
2011 Move an Asteroid Winning Paper Abstract:
This paper presents a novel idea for the successful deflection of asteroids. Adapted initially from the kinematic impactor approach, this new concept – Smart Cloud – combines the relative benefits of ion beaming in providing a large cloud of small particles for the effective deflection and mitigation of asteroids. The cloud consists of a large number of incredibly low mass nano-size spacecraft that are released at a high relative velocity. Upon impact with the asteroid the smart cloud is shown to be highly effective in creating a large artificial drag, and therefore an associated thrust, onto the asteroid. The technique is also advantageous in avoiding the catastrophic fragmentation of the asteroid which might otherwise occur with the impact of a monolithic spacecraft and/or projectile. The impact energy of each colliding particle is significantly lower than the impact energy for disruption. . For analysis the smart cloud approach has been compared to other methods of potential deflection. This includes the low-thrust tug and the ion beaming technique. The paper will show that when the total deflection mass of the smart cloud is equivalent to the ion beaming approach, is has the advantage of significantly reducing the system mass and complexity of the spacecraft design. It is also superior in the deflection and mitigation of deep crossing asteroids.
Link: SGAC News Annoucement
Her proposal outlined in the paper is for a "Smart Cloud" utilizing, multiple small particles for momentum transfer for asteroid deflection.
2011 Move an Asteroid Winning Paper Abstract:
This paper presents a novel idea for the successful deflection of asteroids. Adapted initially from the kinematic impactor approach, this new concept – Smart Cloud – combines the relative benefits of ion beaming in providing a large cloud of small particles for the effective deflection and mitigation of asteroids. The cloud consists of a large number of incredibly low mass nano-size spacecraft that are released at a high relative velocity. Upon impact with the asteroid the smart cloud is shown to be highly effective in creating a large artificial drag, and therefore an associated thrust, onto the asteroid. The technique is also advantageous in avoiding the catastrophic fragmentation of the asteroid which might otherwise occur with the impact of a monolithic spacecraft and/or projectile. The impact energy of each colliding particle is significantly lower than the impact energy for disruption. . For analysis the smart cloud approach has been compared to other methods of potential deflection. This includes the low-thrust tug and the ion beaming technique. The paper will show that when the total deflection mass of the smart cloud is equivalent to the ion beaming approach, is has the advantage of significantly reducing the system mass and complexity of the spacecraft design. It is also superior in the deflection and mitigation of deep crossing asteroids.
Link: SGAC News Annoucement
31 August 2011
Target NEO Workshop Final Report
A recent space.com article on the final report from the Target: NEO workshop.
Selections from the article...
Developing the capability to launch human missions to asteroids would aid humanity's ability to foil a potentially devastating asteroid strike and help spur our march to Mars, a new report finds.
What's most needed to make manned asteroid missions possible, the report further concludes, is a comprehensive survey of the Near Earth Object (NEO) population, which would greatly aid planning efforts.
The new report, entitled "Target NEO: Open Global Community NEO Workshop," is anchored in views expressed by experts who gathered at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington in February. But this latest appraisal includes extensive peer review and refined findings from a number of follow-up meetings, both in the United States and abroad.
The key question posed by the GWU workshop: What information about NEOs is still needed to support a robust, sustainable human exploration program?
While this question prompted a variety of recommendations, a primary conclusion by the participants is the need for a space-based survey telescope to greatly expand the catalog of accessible asteroid targets for human exploration.
The space rock menace
There is a growing list of stakeholders supportive of NEO exploration, said Paul Abell, lead scientist for planetary small bodies at the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"This report is timely," Abell told SPACE.com.
Small bodies have become a magnet for multiple interest groups in the U.S. and abroad, Abell said, be they space scientists, astrobiologists, planetary defense planners or NEO specialists who eye the rocky worlds as resource nodes.
For example, NASA recently selected an asteroid sample return mission called Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-Rex. OSIRIS-Rex will be the first U.S. mission to carry samples from an asteroid back to Earth.
Japanese space officials are moving forward on their Hayabusa 2 asteroid explorer. Russia is readying its Phobos-Grunt spacecraft to explore a moon of Mars, and Canada is pressing forward on its dual-purpose microsatellite, NEOSSAT.
Then there’s the new, surprising data flooding in from NASA’s Dawn probe that’s taking a long look at Vesta, the second-largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
"It shows you that, every time we go places, we’re always surprised and there’s so much to learn," Abell said. "That’s the fun part of science and exploration."
The "Target NEO" report points out that programs and planned missions to asteroids may be leveraged for mutual benefit in terms of data exchange. It also recommends coordination with the European Space Agency and other space agencies on a planetary defense demonstration mission.
Stepping stones to Mars
As for dispatching astronauts to asteroids, the report envisions that a target NEO will need to be discovered several years in advance to provide enough lead time to deliver robotic precursor missions, plan the human mission and deliver the crew to the chosen destination.
Abell also said that piloted flight to a NEO would hone techniques that could enable an exploration mission to the Red Planet.
"They provide good stepping stones out to Mars," Abell said.
Operating at an asteroid or Mars would be completely different than working at the moon, on the space shuttle or aboard the International Space Station.
Both asteroids and Mars, for example, would have much greater lags in communication times. So deep space missions would require the sharpening of true autonomy acumen, as well as a great deal of confidence in redundant hardware, deep space propulsion, life support gear and radiation shielding.
Link: Space.com article
Link: Target: NEO workshop final report (PDF)
Selections from the article...
Developing the capability to launch human missions to asteroids would aid humanity's ability to foil a potentially devastating asteroid strike and help spur our march to Mars, a new report finds.
What's most needed to make manned asteroid missions possible, the report further concludes, is a comprehensive survey of the Near Earth Object (NEO) population, which would greatly aid planning efforts.
The new report, entitled "Target NEO: Open Global Community NEO Workshop," is anchored in views expressed by experts who gathered at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington in February. But this latest appraisal includes extensive peer review and refined findings from a number of follow-up meetings, both in the United States and abroad.
The key question posed by the GWU workshop: What information about NEOs is still needed to support a robust, sustainable human exploration program?
While this question prompted a variety of recommendations, a primary conclusion by the participants is the need for a space-based survey telescope to greatly expand the catalog of accessible asteroid targets for human exploration.
The space rock menace
There is a growing list of stakeholders supportive of NEO exploration, said Paul Abell, lead scientist for planetary small bodies at the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"This report is timely," Abell told SPACE.com.
Small bodies have become a magnet for multiple interest groups in the U.S. and abroad, Abell said, be they space scientists, astrobiologists, planetary defense planners or NEO specialists who eye the rocky worlds as resource nodes.
For example, NASA recently selected an asteroid sample return mission called Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-Rex. OSIRIS-Rex will be the first U.S. mission to carry samples from an asteroid back to Earth.
Japanese space officials are moving forward on their Hayabusa 2 asteroid explorer. Russia is readying its Phobos-Grunt spacecraft to explore a moon of Mars, and Canada is pressing forward on its dual-purpose microsatellite, NEOSSAT.
Then there’s the new, surprising data flooding in from NASA’s Dawn probe that’s taking a long look at Vesta, the second-largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
"It shows you that, every time we go places, we’re always surprised and there’s so much to learn," Abell said. "That’s the fun part of science and exploration."
The "Target NEO" report points out that programs and planned missions to asteroids may be leveraged for mutual benefit in terms of data exchange. It also recommends coordination with the European Space Agency and other space agencies on a planetary defense demonstration mission.
Stepping stones to Mars
As for dispatching astronauts to asteroids, the report envisions that a target NEO will need to be discovered several years in advance to provide enough lead time to deliver robotic precursor missions, plan the human mission and deliver the crew to the chosen destination.
Abell also said that piloted flight to a NEO would hone techniques that could enable an exploration mission to the Red Planet.
"They provide good stepping stones out to Mars," Abell said.
Operating at an asteroid or Mars would be completely different than working at the moon, on the space shuttle or aboard the International Space Station.
Both asteroids and Mars, for example, would have much greater lags in communication times. So deep space missions would require the sharpening of true autonomy acumen, as well as a great deal of confidence in redundant hardware, deep space propulsion, life support gear and radiation shielding.
Link: Space.com article
Link: Target: NEO workshop final report (PDF)
30 August 2011
PR on Recent Workshop on Planetary Defense Policy Workshop with SWF/NASA/UN/ASE
From the press release from Secure World Foundation...
A workshop has brought together leading representatives from space agencies and international experts to discuss key issues related to global response and cooperation in the event of a Near Earth Object (NEO) impact threat to Earth.
The gathering of specialists took place August 25-26 in Pasadena, California. The meeting was co-organized and co-sponsored by Action Team-14, part of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, Secure World Foundation (SWF), and the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) that represents over 350 individuals from 35 nations who have flown in space.
The supporting agency host of the meeting was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Near Earth Object Observations Program Office.
This recent workshop is a follow-up to previous meetings that took place last year in Mexico City to discuss a NEO Information, Analysis, and Warning Network (IAWN) and in Darmstadt, Germany to confer about a NEO Mission Planning and Operations Group, or MPOG, to plan, organize, and conduct any necessary missions to threatening asteroids.
Decisive step: set of recommendations
“As we now have the technological capacity, we should be able to prevent the threat of an asteroid impact on Earth or mitigate its consequences,” said Dr. Sergio Camacho, Secretary General of the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (CRECTEALC) in Mexico City. Camacho is a former Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, a post that he held from 2002 to 2007.
“I am very pleased with the progress made at this workshop towards establishing a space agency Mission Planning and Operations Group (MPOG) to plan, prepare and respond, if need be, to an asteroid threat,” Camacho said.
Preparing a draft Terms of Reference for such a group, with the participation of four space agencies, is a decisive step in this direction, Comacho added.
These results, together with those garnered from previous policy workshops -- also co-sponsored by Secure World Foundation -- on establishing an IAWN, an MPOG, and results to date from the multi-year work plan of the Action Team-14 on Near Earth Objects of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, will result in February 2013 with a set of recommendations on which the Committee can act.
“I am also very pleased by the progress that we made in preparing these recommendations,” Comacho said. “By joining and coordinating efforts, the international community will be much better prepared to prevent the devastating consequences of an asteroid impact on Earth.”
Substantial progress
“This workshop made substantial progress toward an international interagency plan to mitigate the damaging effects of an asteroid strike against Earth. It also made headway in an effort to develop an overall international governance model for the response to a threatening Near Earth Object,” said Dr. Ray A. Williamson, Executive Director of Secure World Foundation.
The Association of Space Explorers has been promoting international efforts to plan for averting a future asteroid impact for more than five years, and last week’s Mission Planning and Operations Group meeting shows the world’s space agencies are moving closer to cooperative action, said Tom Jones, former NASA shuttle astronaut and current Chair of the ASE Committee on Near-Earth Objects.
Jones said that the “rules of the road” for the group should lead to joint technology development to deflect a rogue asteroid.
“What’s needed now is top-level agency endorsement of international planning and research, leading to a space demonstration of how we would change the course of an asteroid,” Jones said. “That’s the goal, so we can be ready for a hazardous asteroid down the road.”
Link: Press Release
A workshop has brought together leading representatives from space agencies and international experts to discuss key issues related to global response and cooperation in the event of a Near Earth Object (NEO) impact threat to Earth.
The gathering of specialists took place August 25-26 in Pasadena, California. The meeting was co-organized and co-sponsored by Action Team-14, part of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, Secure World Foundation (SWF), and the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) that represents over 350 individuals from 35 nations who have flown in space.
The supporting agency host of the meeting was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Near Earth Object Observations Program Office.
This recent workshop is a follow-up to previous meetings that took place last year in Mexico City to discuss a NEO Information, Analysis, and Warning Network (IAWN) and in Darmstadt, Germany to confer about a NEO Mission Planning and Operations Group, or MPOG, to plan, organize, and conduct any necessary missions to threatening asteroids.
Decisive step: set of recommendations
“As we now have the technological capacity, we should be able to prevent the threat of an asteroid impact on Earth or mitigate its consequences,” said Dr. Sergio Camacho, Secretary General of the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (CRECTEALC) in Mexico City. Camacho is a former Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, a post that he held from 2002 to 2007.
“I am very pleased with the progress made at this workshop towards establishing a space agency Mission Planning and Operations Group (MPOG) to plan, prepare and respond, if need be, to an asteroid threat,” Camacho said.
Preparing a draft Terms of Reference for such a group, with the participation of four space agencies, is a decisive step in this direction, Comacho added.
These results, together with those garnered from previous policy workshops -- also co-sponsored by Secure World Foundation -- on establishing an IAWN, an MPOG, and results to date from the multi-year work plan of the Action Team-14 on Near Earth Objects of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, will result in February 2013 with a set of recommendations on which the Committee can act.
“I am also very pleased by the progress that we made in preparing these recommendations,” Comacho said. “By joining and coordinating efforts, the international community will be much better prepared to prevent the devastating consequences of an asteroid impact on Earth.”
Substantial progress
“This workshop made substantial progress toward an international interagency plan to mitigate the damaging effects of an asteroid strike against Earth. It also made headway in an effort to develop an overall international governance model for the response to a threatening Near Earth Object,” said Dr. Ray A. Williamson, Executive Director of Secure World Foundation.
The Association of Space Explorers has been promoting international efforts to plan for averting a future asteroid impact for more than five years, and last week’s Mission Planning and Operations Group meeting shows the world’s space agencies are moving closer to cooperative action, said Tom Jones, former NASA shuttle astronaut and current Chair of the ASE Committee on Near-Earth Objects.
Jones said that the “rules of the road” for the group should lead to joint technology development to deflect a rogue asteroid.
“What’s needed now is top-level agency endorsement of international planning and research, leading to a space demonstration of how we would change the course of an asteroid,” Jones said. “That’s the goal, so we can be ready for a hazardous asteroid down the road.”
Link: Press Release
New Papers on low delta-V asteroids, asteroid mission measurement requirements, Human mission NEO targets, and detection of radiation pressure
Several new papers.
PAPER REFERENCE:
Physical characterisation of low delta-V asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3
Authors: Stephen D. Wolters, Ben Rozitis, Samuel R. Duddy, Stephen C. Lowry, Simon F. Green, Colin Snodgrass, Olivier R. Hainaut, Paul Weissman (Submitted on 08 Aug 2011)
Abstract: Asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3 is a binary asteroid and the baseline target for the proposed MarcoPolo-R sample-return mission. We present thermal IR photometry obtained with the ESO VLT+VISIR together with optical photometry obtained with the ESO NTT+EFOSC2 . An absolute visual magnitude H_V = 17.833 \pm 0.024 and phase parameter G = -0.041 \pm 0.005 is derived. The Near-Earth Asteroid Thermal Model (NEATM) has been fitted to the measured fluxes to derive a geometric visual albedo p_v = 0.046 \pm 0.014, effective diameter at the observed aspect D_eff = 1.68 \pm 0.25 km, and beaming parameter {\eta} = 1.15 for phase angle {\alpha} = 11.7{\deg}. The Advanced Thermophysical Model (ATPM) has been fitted to the measured fluxes to derive a more accurate effective diameter D_eff = 1.71 \pm 0.07 km and albedo p_v = 0.044 \pm 0.004. Based on the ATPM results, assuming the same albedo for primary and secondary, we derive a primary mean spherical diameter D_p = (1.69 +0.18/-0.12) km, secondary diameter D_s = 0.51 \pm 0.03 km, and a secondary orbital semi-major axis a = (2.8 +1.7/-0.7) km. A low surface thermal inertia {\Gamma} = 120 \pm 50 J m^-2 s^-1/2 K^-1 was also derived, suggesting a dusty surface and raising questions as to the binary formation mechanism of this asteroid. These physical properties are used to predict a Yarkovsky drift in semi-major axis of (-60 +31/-45) m yr-1.
Cite as: 1108.1831v1 [astro-ph.IM]
Link: Paper (PDF format)
PAPER REFERENCE:
Measurement requirements for a near-Earth asteroid impact mitigation demonstration mission
Authors: Stephen D. Wolters, Andrew J. Ball, Nigel Wells, Christopher Saunders, Neil McBride (Submitted on 21 Jul 2011)
Abstract: A concept for an Impact Mitigation Preparation Mission, called Don Quijote, is to send two spacecraft to a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA): an Orbiter and an Impactor. The Impactor collides with the asteroid while the Orbiter measures the resulting change in the asteroid's orbit, by means of a Radio Science Experiment (RSE) carried out before and after impact. Three parallel Phase A studies on Don Quijote were carried out for the European Space Agency: the research presented here reflects outcomes of the study by QinetiQ. We discuss the mission objectives with regards to the prioritisation of payload instruments, with emphasis on the interpretation of the impact. The Radio Science Experiment is described and it is examined how solar radiation pressure may increase the uncertainty in measuring the orbit of the target asteroid. It is determined that to measure the change in orbit accurately a thermal IR spectrometer is mandatory, to measure the Yarkovsky effect. The advantages of having a laser altimeter are discussed. The advantages of a dedicated wide-angle impact camera are discussed and the field-of-view is initially sized through a simple model of the impact.
Cite as: 1107.4229v1 [astro-ph.IM]
Link: Paper (PDF format)
PAPER REFERENCE:
Ultra-Low Delta-v Objects and the Human Exploration of Asteroids
Authors: Martin Elvis, Jonathan McDowell, Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Richard P. Binzel (Submitted on 20 May 2011 (v1), last revised 15 Jun 2011 (this version, v2))
Abstract: Missions to near-Earth objects (NEOs) are key destinations in NASA's new "Flexible Path" approach. NEOs are also of interest for science, for the hazards they pose, and for their resources. We emphasize the importance of ultra-low delta-v from LEO to NEO rendezvous as a target selection criterion, as this choice can greatly increase the payload to the NEO. Few such ultra-low delta-v NEOs are currently known; only 65 of the 6699 known NEOs (March2010) have delta-v <4.5 km/s, 2/3 of typical LEO-NEO delta-v. Even these are small and hard to recover. Other criteria - short transit times, long launch windows, a robust abort capability, and a safe environment for proximity operations - will further limit the list of accessible objects. Potentially there are at least an order of magnitude more ultra-low delta v NEOs but, to find them all on a short enough timescale (before 2025) requires a dedicated survey in the optical or mid-IR, optimally from a Venus-like orbit because of the short synodic period for NEOs in that orbit, plus long arc determination of their orbits.
Cite as: 1105.4152v2 [astro-ph.IM]
Link: Paper (PDF format)
PAPER REFERENCE:
Detection of radiation pressure acting on 2009 BD
Authors: Marco Micheli, David J. Tholen, Garrett T. Elliott (Submitted on 03 Jun 2011)
Abstract: We report the direct detection of radiation pressure on the asteroid 2009 BD, one of the smallest multi-opposition near-Earth objects currently known, with H ~ 28.4. Under the purely gravitational model of NEODyS the object is currently considered a possible future impactor, with impact solutions starting in 2071. The detection of a radiation-related acceleration allows us to estimate an Area to Mass Ratio (AMR) for the object, that can be converted (under some assumptions) into a range of possible values for its average density. Our result AMR = (2.97 \pm 0.33) x 10^(-4) m^2 kg^(-1) is compatible with the object being of natural origin, and it is narrow enough to exclude a man-made nature. The possible origin of this object, its future observability, and the importance of radiation pressure in the impact monitoring process, are also discussed.
Cite as: 1106.0564v1 [astro-ph.IM]
Link: Paper (PDF format)
PAPER REFERENCE:
Physical characterisation of low delta-V asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3
Authors: Stephen D. Wolters, Ben Rozitis, Samuel R. Duddy, Stephen C. Lowry, Simon F. Green, Colin Snodgrass, Olivier R. Hainaut, Paul Weissman (Submitted on 08 Aug 2011)
Abstract: Asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3 is a binary asteroid and the baseline target for the proposed MarcoPolo-R sample-return mission. We present thermal IR photometry obtained with the ESO VLT+VISIR together with optical photometry obtained with the ESO NTT+EFOSC2 . An absolute visual magnitude H_V = 17.833 \pm 0.024 and phase parameter G = -0.041 \pm 0.005 is derived. The Near-Earth Asteroid Thermal Model (NEATM) has been fitted to the measured fluxes to derive a geometric visual albedo p_v = 0.046 \pm 0.014, effective diameter at the observed aspect D_eff = 1.68 \pm 0.25 km, and beaming parameter {\eta} = 1.15 for phase angle {\alpha} = 11.7{\deg}. The Advanced Thermophysical Model (ATPM) has been fitted to the measured fluxes to derive a more accurate effective diameter D_eff = 1.71 \pm 0.07 km and albedo p_v = 0.044 \pm 0.004. Based on the ATPM results, assuming the same albedo for primary and secondary, we derive a primary mean spherical diameter D_p = (1.69 +0.18/-0.12) km, secondary diameter D_s = 0.51 \pm 0.03 km, and a secondary orbital semi-major axis a = (2.8 +1.7/-0.7) km. A low surface thermal inertia {\Gamma} = 120 \pm 50 J m^-2 s^-1/2 K^-1 was also derived, suggesting a dusty surface and raising questions as to the binary formation mechanism of this asteroid. These physical properties are used to predict a Yarkovsky drift in semi-major axis of (-60 +31/-45) m yr-1.
Cite as: 1108.1831v1 [astro-ph.IM]
Link: Paper (PDF format)
PAPER REFERENCE:
Measurement requirements for a near-Earth asteroid impact mitigation demonstration mission
Authors: Stephen D. Wolters, Andrew J. Ball, Nigel Wells, Christopher Saunders, Neil McBride (Submitted on 21 Jul 2011)
Abstract: A concept for an Impact Mitigation Preparation Mission, called Don Quijote, is to send two spacecraft to a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA): an Orbiter and an Impactor. The Impactor collides with the asteroid while the Orbiter measures the resulting change in the asteroid's orbit, by means of a Radio Science Experiment (RSE) carried out before and after impact. Three parallel Phase A studies on Don Quijote were carried out for the European Space Agency: the research presented here reflects outcomes of the study by QinetiQ. We discuss the mission objectives with regards to the prioritisation of payload instruments, with emphasis on the interpretation of the impact. The Radio Science Experiment is described and it is examined how solar radiation pressure may increase the uncertainty in measuring the orbit of the target asteroid. It is determined that to measure the change in orbit accurately a thermal IR spectrometer is mandatory, to measure the Yarkovsky effect. The advantages of having a laser altimeter are discussed. The advantages of a dedicated wide-angle impact camera are discussed and the field-of-view is initially sized through a simple model of the impact.
Cite as: 1107.4229v1 [astro-ph.IM]
Link: Paper (PDF format)
PAPER REFERENCE:
Ultra-Low Delta-v Objects and the Human Exploration of Asteroids
Authors: Martin Elvis, Jonathan McDowell, Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Richard P. Binzel (Submitted on 20 May 2011 (v1), last revised 15 Jun 2011 (this version, v2))
Abstract: Missions to near-Earth objects (NEOs) are key destinations in NASA's new "Flexible Path" approach. NEOs are also of interest for science, for the hazards they pose, and for their resources. We emphasize the importance of ultra-low delta-v from LEO to NEO rendezvous as a target selection criterion, as this choice can greatly increase the payload to the NEO. Few such ultra-low delta-v NEOs are currently known; only 65 of the 6699 known NEOs (March2010) have delta-v <4.5 km/s, 2/3 of typical LEO-NEO delta-v. Even these are small and hard to recover. Other criteria - short transit times, long launch windows, a robust abort capability, and a safe environment for proximity operations - will further limit the list of accessible objects. Potentially there are at least an order of magnitude more ultra-low delta v NEOs but, to find them all on a short enough timescale (before 2025) requires a dedicated survey in the optical or mid-IR, optimally from a Venus-like orbit because of the short synodic period for NEOs in that orbit, plus long arc determination of their orbits.
Cite as: 1105.4152v2 [astro-ph.IM]
Link: Paper (PDF format)
PAPER REFERENCE:
Detection of radiation pressure acting on 2009 BD
Authors: Marco Micheli, David J. Tholen, Garrett T. Elliott (Submitted on 03 Jun 2011)
Abstract: We report the direct detection of radiation pressure on the asteroid 2009 BD, one of the smallest multi-opposition near-Earth objects currently known, with H ~ 28.4. Under the purely gravitational model of NEODyS the object is currently considered a possible future impactor, with impact solutions starting in 2071. The detection of a radiation-related acceleration allows us to estimate an Area to Mass Ratio (AMR) for the object, that can be converted (under some assumptions) into a range of possible values for its average density. Our result AMR = (2.97 \pm 0.33) x 10^(-4) m^2 kg^(-1) is compatible with the object being of natural origin, and it is narrow enough to exclude a man-made nature. The possible origin of this object, its future observability, and the importance of radiation pressure in the impact monitoring process, are also discussed.
Cite as: 1106.0564v1 [astro-ph.IM]
Link: Paper (PDF format)
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