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

http://minorplanetcenter.net/

http://minorplanetcenter.net/

J.L. Galache@JLGalache

Frontier Development Lab 2016 2

ASTEROIDS – CLIFF’S NOTES


What’s an Asteroid?


Credit: Jack Cook (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)




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


Where Do They Live?


Credit: NASA


Why study asteroids?


• 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)


Near Earth Asteroids


Credit: Planetary Resources


How Many NEAs Are There?


NEOWISE/JPL

20,500 ± 3,000


Discovery Rate of NEAs



NEA discoveries 1985-2015


1800

1600

1400

1200


The NEA Hunters



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


Surveys

NEO Confirmation Page

Pro/Amateur Observers2013 SS!



THE CHALLENGES OF FINDING NEAR EARTH ASTEROIDS


Challenge #1


Credit: NASA


Solution #1


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


Challenge #2


Credit: NASACredit: Touchstone PicturesArmageddon (1998)


Solution #2



Challenge #3



Solution #3


Credit: NASA JPL

NEOCam


Challenge #4


Credit: yaxu via FlickrCredit: yaxu via Flickr


Solution #4


Credit: NASA JPL

NEOCam


Solution #4


Credit: NASA JPL


TYPES OF OBSERVATIONAL DATA FROM ASTEROIDS



AstrometryOrbit, abs. magnitude (rough size)


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


Coverage Data


10,000 fields


LightcurvesSpin period, binarity, maybe shape and spin axis


11,500 objects


Lightcurves


Credit: MANOS

D < 300m

~2.2 h~4 h


SpectroscopyComposition, aprox. albedo


1,100 NEA spectra


Multi Band Photometry


105,000 ID’d asteroids200 NEOs


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


18,000 objects500 NEOs


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


750 asteroids600 NEOs


Asteroid Shape Models


930 asteroids


APPLICATIONS TO

PLANETARY DEFENSE



Most Important to Planetary Defense: Asteroid Mass

𝐸 =1

2𝑚𝑣2

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


composition + structure

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

size

radar, space MIR

orbit

astrometry



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


How to Deflect an Asteroid



WHAT ELSE CAN WE

DO WITH NEAs?



Let’s Mine the Asteroids


Deep Space Industries

Planetary Resources

• For water H2 for fuel O2 to breathe

• For building materials


Or Build an AsteroidInterplanetary Network


Credit: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Comet Hitchhiker


THE END


THE BEGINNING!

nasa frontier development lab 2016 - asteroids 101

Science