nasa frontier development lab 2016 - asteroids 101

Asteroids 101

J.L. GalacheIAU Minor Planet Center

The nerve center of asteroid detection in the Solar System

Smithsonian Astrophysical ObservatoryCambridge, MA (USA)

@JLGalache @MinorPlanetCtr

J.L. Galache@JLGalache

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ASTEROIDS – CLIFF’S NOTES

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J.L. Galache@JLGalache

What’s an Asteroid?

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Credit: Jack Cook (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

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What’s an Asteroid?

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J.L. Galache@JLGalache

What’s an Asteroid?

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Credit: NASA, JAXA and ESA (montage by Emily Lakdawalla)

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Where Do They Live?

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Credit: NASA

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Why study asteroids?

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• Pristine samples of Solar nebula 4.5 billion years ago

• Composition of Solar nebula at varying distance from Sun

• Insight into dynamical history of the Solar System

• Were life or its precursors delivered to Earth on an asteroid?

• Sources of fuel, water and building materials for future space explorers

• Self preservation! (Don’t be a dinosaur)

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Near Earth Asteroids

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Credit: Planetary Resources

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How Many NEAs Are There?

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NEOWISE/JPL

20,500 ± 3,000

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Discovery Rate of NEAs

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Discovery Rate of NEAs

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NEA discoveries 1985-2015

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1800

1600

1400

1200

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The NEA Hunters

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J.L. Galache@JLGalache

Minor Planet Center (MPC)The nerve center of asteroid detection

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Surveys

NEO Confirmation Page

Pro/Amateur Observers2013 SS!

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THE CHALLENGES OF FINDING NEAR EARTH ASTEROIDS

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Challenge #1

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Credit: NASA

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Solution #1

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Asteroid 2013 MZ5 2013/06/18.50804 19 59 51.999 | -26 33 32.19 20.6

2013/06/18.52113 19 59 51.644 | -26 34 10.91 21.0

2013/06/18.53428 19 59 51.278 | -26 34 49.9820.7

2013/06/18.5473919 59 50.905 | -26 35 28.7520.8

J.L. Galache@JLGalache

Challenge #2

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Credit: NASACredit: Touchstone PicturesArmageddon (1998)

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Solution #2

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Challenge #3

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Solution #3

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Credit: NASA JPL

NEOCam

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Challenge #4

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Credit: yaxu via FlickrCredit: yaxu via Flickr

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Solution #4

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Credit: NASA JPL

NEOCam

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Solution #4

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Credit: NASA JPL

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TYPES OF OBSERVATIONAL DATA FROM ASTEROIDS

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AstrometryOrbit, abs. magnitude (rough size)

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Asteroid 2013 MZ5 2013/06/18.50804 19 59 51.999 | -26 33 32.19 20.6

2013/06/18.52113 19 59 51.644 | -26 34 10.91 21.0

2013/06/18.53428 19 59 51.278 | -26 34 49.9820.7

2013/06/18.5473919 59 50.905 | -26 35 28.7520.8

152 million obs715,000 asteroids

14,500 NEAs

J.L. Galache@JLGalache

Coverage Data

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10,000 fields

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LightcurvesSpin period, binarity, maybe shape and spin axis

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11,500 objects

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Lightcurves

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Credit: MANOS

D < 300m

~2.2 h~4 h

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SpectroscopyComposition, aprox. albedo

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1,100 NEA spectra

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Multi Band Photometry

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105,000 ID’d asteroids200 NEOs

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Infrared Space-Based ObservationsSize, albedo (if have optical), composition (if have albedo)

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18,000 objects500 NEOs

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RadarSize, shape, spin axis, surface properties , binarity, aprox. albedo

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750 asteroids600 NEOs

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Asteroid Shape Models

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930 asteroids

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APPLICATIONS TO

PLANETARY DEFENSE

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J.L. Galache@JLGalache

Most Important to Planetary Defense: Asteroid Mass

𝐸 =1

2𝑚𝑣2

𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦: before entering Earth’s atmosphere𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 = 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 × 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒

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composition + structure

spectroscopy (optical+NIR) +thermal modelling (space MIR)

size

radar, space MIR

orbit

astrometry

J.L. Galache@JLGalache

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Let’s think big about this…But not “dinosaur” big

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How to Deflect an Asteroid

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How to Deflect an Asteroid

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WHAT ELSE CAN WE

DO WITH NEAs?

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Let’s Mine the Asteroids

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Deep Space Industries

Planetary Resources

• For water H2 for fuel O2 to breathe

• For building materials

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Or Build an AsteroidInterplanetary Network

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Credit: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Comet Hitchhiker

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THE END

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THE BEGINNING!