FINDING
HAZARDOUS
ASTEROIDS
Using Infrared and
Visible Wavelength Telescopes
Committee on Near Earth Object Observations in the Infrared and Visible Wavelengths
Space Studies Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
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This activity was supported by Contract No. NNH17CB02B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-49398-7
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-49398-6
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25476
Cover illustration by Timothy Warchocki. Unlike this symbolic depiction of a telescope detecting asteroids, actual asteroid detections of asteroids only show points of light or streaks, and do not resolve the asteroid’s shape.
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Finding Hazardous Asteroids Using Infrared and Visible Wavelength Telescopes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25476.
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COMMITTEE ON NEAR EARTH OBJECT OBSERVATIONS IN THE INFRARED AND VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS
H. JAY MELOSH, NAS,1 Purdue University, Chair
ALAN W. HARRIS, German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research
BHAVYA LAL, IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute
LUCY McFADDEN, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Emerita)
MICHAEL MOMMERT, Lowell Observatory
GEORGE RIEKE, NAS, University of Arizona
ANDREW RIVKIN, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
DANIEL J. SCHEERES, NAE,2 University of Colorado, Boulder
EDWARD TEDESCO, Planetary Science Institute
Staff
DWAYNE A. DAY, Senior Program Officer, Space Studies Board, Study Director
SARAH C. BROTHERS, Associate Program Officer, Space Studies Board
ANESIA WILKS, Program Coordinator, Space Studies Board
DIONNA WISE, Program Coordinator, Space Studies Board
PHOEBE KINZELMAN, Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
COLLEEN HARTMAN, Director, Space Studies Board and Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
2 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
SPACE STUDIES BOARD
MARGARET KIVELSON, University of California, Los Angeles, Chair
JAMES H. CROCKER, NAE,1 Lockheed Martin (retired), Vice Chair
GREGORY P. ASNER, NAS,2 Carnegie Institution for Science
JEFF M. BINGHAM, Consultant
ADAM BURROWS, NAS, Princeton University
MARY LYNNE DITTMAR, Dittmar Associates
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara
JOSEPH FULLER, JR., Futron Corporation
SARAH GIBSON, National Center for Atmospheric Research
VICTORIA HAMILTON, Southwest Research Institute
CHRYSSA KOUVELIOTOU, NAS, George Washington University
DENNIS P. LETTENMAIER, NAE, University of California, Los Angeles
ROSALY M. LOPES, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
STEPHEN J. MACKWELL, Universities Space Research Association
DAVID J. McCOMAS, Princeton University
LARRY PAXTON, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
ELIOT QUATAERT, University of California, Berkeley
BARBARA SHERWOOD LOLLAR, University of Toronto
HARLAN E. SPENCE, University of New Hampshire
MARK H. THIEMENS, NAS, University of California, San Diego
ERIKA WAGNER, Blue Origin
PAUL WOOSTER, Space Exploration Technologies
EDWARD L. WRIGHT, NAS, University of California, Los Angeles
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
2 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Lance A.M. Benner, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology,
William F. Bottke, Southwest Research Institute,
Joshua P. Emery, University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
Yanga Fernandez, University of Central Florida,
Mikael Granvik, University of Helsinki, Finland, and Luleå University of Technology, Sweden,
Alan W. Harris, MoreData! Inc.,
Ellen Howell, Arecibo Observatory,
Zeljko Ivezic, University of Washington,
Harold Reitsema, Independent Consultant,
Irwin I. Shapiro, NAS,1 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics,
Grant H. Stokes, NAE,2 MIT Lincoln Laboratory,
George W. Sutton, NAE, Analysis and Applications, Inc., and
Faith Vilas, Planetary Science Institute.
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
2 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Steven J. Battel, NAE, Battel Engineering, Inc. He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
Preface
In summer 2018, NASA’s chief scientist asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to establish a study to address the issue of the relative advantages and disadvantages of infrared and visible observations of near Earth objects (NEOs). NASA has had an NEO observation program for nearly two decades using ground-based telescopes to search the night sky for NEOs that are large enough to cause major damage if they impact Earth. Since 2005, NASA has been guided in its search by the requirements of the George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act. In recent years, NASA has used a space-based telescope to aid in its NEO search and has studied the possibility of using a dedicated space-based telescope to continue this work. This report of the Committee on Near Earth Object Observations in the Infrared and Visible Wavelengths addresses the space-based telescope subject while acknowledging that there are many larger issues associated with detecting, tracking, and characterizing NEOs.
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Contents
Impacts and the Tsunami Threat
The Nation’s Response to the NEO Impact Threat
2 THE COMPONENTS OF PLANETARY DEFENSE
Density and Other Characteristics
Other Factors: Time Scale, Complementarity, and Cost
The Role of Science in NEO Surveys
3 CURRENT AND NEAR-TERM NEO OBSERVATION SYSTEMS
NEO Observation Assets: Past, Present, and Near Future
4 THE ADVANTAGES OF SPACE-BASED INFRARED PLATFORMS
Space-Based Visual Wavelength Telescopes
Test of Feasibility of a Space-Based Infrared Telescope
5 TECHNIQUES TO OBTAIN NEO SIZES
The Development of Asteroid Thermal Modeling
