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Finding Hazardous Asteroids Using Infrared and Visible Wavelength Telescopes (2019)

Chapter: Appendix C: Advantages and Disadvantages of Ground- and Space-Based Options for Infrared and Visible Observations of Near Earth Objects

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Advantages and Disadvantages of Ground- and Space-Based Options for Infrared and Visible Observations of Near Earth Objects." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Finding Hazardous Asteroids Using Infrared and Visible Wavelength Telescopes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25476.
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C

Advantages and Disadvantages of Ground- and Space-Based Options for Infrared and Visible Observations of Near Earth Objects

System Advantages Disadvantages
Visible/Radar Systems—Ground- and Space-Based
Ground-Based Visible Survey (e.g., PanSTARRS, CSS, LSST)
  • Accurate orbits
  • Preliminary H (required for size estimate once albedo is determined, or vice versa); may provide data on rotation rate and shape
  • Relatively low cost (LSST already under construction)
  • Size estimation based on assumed albedo uncertain
  • Will take decades to even approach 90% completeness—cannot meet the George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act limit
Ground-Based Visible Characterization Using Photometry and Spectroscopy
  • Can provide improved H value, taxonomy, mineralogy, and tighter constraints on albedo; light curves provide rotation rate, constrain shape, may provide evidence of satellite
  • Field of view impractical for searches; effective only for characterizing known objects
Ground-Based Radar Characterization (e.g., Goldstone, Arecibo)
  • Can provide sizes of known objects if they pass sufficiently close to Earth, therefore can provide albedos given H
  • Can dramatically increase the accuracy of orbits of known objects
  • May provide rotation rate, shape, high-resolution images, confirmation of satellite
  • Arecibo, Goldstone already exist; maintenance costs are known; each also has non-NEO users
  • Impractical for searches; effective only for characterizing known objects
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Advantages and Disadvantages of Ground- and Space-Based Options for Infrared and Visible Observations of Near Earth Objects." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Finding Hazardous Asteroids Using Infrared and Visible Wavelength Telescopes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25476.
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System Advantages Disadvantages
Space-Based Visible Survey (e.g., 0.5 m at L1)
  • Accurate orbits
  • Preliminary H
  • Some characterization depending on instrumentation
  • Size uncertainty similar to that of ground-based surveys
  • Will take decades to even approach 90% completeness—cannot meet the George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act limit
  • Tradeoff between aperture size, cost, and contribution beyond LSST
  • Potentially costly at approximately $550 million plus launch
  • Options to reduce cost below that of Discovery missions exist but mean longer time to achieve completion
Space-Based Visible Survey (SmallSat platform)
  • Lower cost than other options — approximately $40 million per satellite
  • Insufficient sensitivity to reach George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act criterion
  • Software for orbit determination does not exist but is under development
Infrared Systems—Ground and Space Based
Space-Based Infrared Survey (50 cm at L1)
  • Accurate sizes
  • Tight constraints on albedo, given H
  • Able to complete survey roughly 10 years after launch
  • Potentially expensive at $550 million plus launch
Ground-Based Characterization—Mid-Infrared (e.g., Keck, LBT, Gemini)
  • Accurate sizes
  • Tight constraints on albedo, given H
  • Small field of view and low, unreliable sensitivity due to Earth’s atmosphere make searches impractical
  • Can measure rotation rate, etc., but no benefit over visible wavelength measurements
Air-Based Characterization—Aircraft, Mid-Infrared (5-35 μm) (e.g., SOFIA)
  • Accurate sizes
  • Tight constraints on albedo, given H
  • Suffers much less from atmospheric effects than ground-based infrared
  • Small field of view makes searches impractical
  • Can measure rotation rate, etc., but no benefit over visible wavelength measurements
  • Less flexible and more costly than ground-based infrared

NOTE: CSS, Catalina Sky Survey; LBT, Large Binocular Telescope; LSST, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope; NEO, near Earth object; Pan-STARRS, Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System; SOFIA, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Advantages and Disadvantages of Ground- and Space-Based Options for Infrared and Visible Observations of Near Earth Objects." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Finding Hazardous Asteroids Using Infrared and Visible Wavelength Telescopes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25476.
×
Page 54
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Advantages and Disadvantages of Ground- and Space-Based Options for Infrared and Visible Observations of Near Earth Objects." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Finding Hazardous Asteroids Using Infrared and Visible Wavelength Telescopes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25476.
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Page 55
Next: Appendix D: Committee and Staff Biographical Information »
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Near Earth objects (NEOs) have the potential to cause significant damage on Earth. In December 2018, an asteroid exploded in the upper atmosphere over the Bering Sea (western Pacific Ocean) with the explosive force of nearly 10 times that of the Hiroshima bomb. While the frequency of NEO impacts rises in inverse proportion to their sizes, it is still critical to monitor NEO activity in order to prepare defenses for these rare but dangerous threats.

Currently, NASA funds a network of ground-based telescopes and a single, soon-to-expire space-based asset to detect and track large asteroids that could cause major damage if they struck Earth. This asset is crucial to NEO tracking as thermal-infrared detection and tracking of asteroids can only be accomplished on a space-based platform.

Finding Hazardous Asteroids Using Infrared and Visible Wavelength Telescopes explores the advantages and disadvantages of infrared (IR) technology and visible wavelength observations of NEOs. This report reviews the techniques that could be used to obtain NEO sizes from an infrared spectrum and delineate the associated errors in determining the size. It also evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques and recommends the most valid techniques that give reproducible results with quantifiable errors.

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