. 24/7 Space News .
IRON AND ICE
NASA approves further development of asteroid hunter
by Staff Writers
Laurel MD (SPX) Jun 14, 2021

NEO Surveyor is a new mission proposal designed to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids that are near the Earth.

NASA has approved the Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope (NEO Surveyor) to move to the next phase of mission development after a successful mission review, authorizing the mission to move forward into Preliminary Design (known as Key Decision Point-B).

The infrared space telescope is designed to help advance NASA's planetary defense efforts by expediting our ability to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids and comets that come within 30 million miles of Earth's orbit, collectively known as near-earth objects, or NEOs.

"NEO Surveyor will have the capability to rapidly accelerate the rate at which NASA is able to discover asteroids and comets that could pose a hazard to the Earth, and it is being designed to discover 90 percent of asteroids 140 meters in size or larger within a decade of being launched," said Mike Kelley, NEO Surveyor program scientist at NASA Headquarters.

Following completion of the goal to discover 90 percent of all NEOs larger than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in size in 2010, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-155) directed NASA to discover 90% of NEOs larger than 140 meters (459 feet) in size.

The agency is diligently working to achieve this directive and has currently found approximately 40% of near-Earth asteroids within this size range.

"Each night, astronomers across the globe diligently use ground-based optical telescopes to discover new NEOs, characterize their shape and size, and confirm they do not pose a threat to us," said Kelly Fast, program manager for NASA's NEO Observations Program.

"Those telescopes are only able to look for NEOs in the night sky. NEO Surveyor would allow observations to continue day and night, specifically targeting regions where NEOs that could pose a hazard might be found and accelerating the progress toward the Congressional goal."

Discovering, characterizing, and tracking potentially hazardous NEOs as early as possible is crucial in ensuring that deflection or other preparations for impact mitigation can be carried out in time. NASA will test one deflection technology - the kinetic impactor - with its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, to be launched later this year.

While there are no known impact threats to Earth for the next century, unpredicted impacts by unknown NEOs - such as the 2013 Chelyabinsk event in Russia - still pose a hazard to Earth. Using sensors that operate in the infrared, NEO Surveyor would help planetary scientists discover NEOs more quickly, including ones that could approach Earth during the day from closer to the direction of the Sun - something that is not currently possible using ground-based optical observatories.

"By searching for NEOs closer to the direction of the Sun, NEO Surveyor would help astronomers discover impact hazards that could approach Earth from the daytime sky," said Amy Mainzer, principal investigator for NEO Surveyor at the University of Arizona. "NEO Surveyor would also significantly enhance NASA's ability to determine the specific sizes and characteristics of newly discovered NEOs by using infrared light, complementing ongoing observations being conducted by ground-based observatories and radar."

NEO Surveyor's approval to move to this next mission milestone brings the telescope one step closer to launch, which is currently scheduled for the first half of 2026. The mission is being developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and managed by NASA's Planetary Missions Program Office at Marshall Space Flight Center, with program oversight by the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). NASA established the PDCO in 2016 to manage the agency's ongoing efforts in Planetary Defense.


Related Links
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
Planetary Defense at NASA
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


IRON AND ICE
Asteroid 16 Psyche might not be what scientists expected
Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 10, 2021
The widely studied metallic asteroid known as 16 Psyche was long thought to be the exposed iron core of a small planet that failed to form during the earliest days of the solar system. But new University of Arizona-led research suggests that the asteroid might not be as metallic or dense as once thought, and hints at a much different origin story. Scientists are interested in 16 Psyche because if its presumed origins are true, it would provide an opportunity to study an exposed planetary core up c ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

IRON AND ICE
Trip to space with Jeff Bezos sells for $28 mn

Marshall ships air filtration hardware to Wallops for ISS

Boeing plans second Starliner capsule test flight in July

NASA seeks proposals for next 2 private astronaut missions to ISS

IRON AND ICE
Debris from carrier rocket drop safely

NASA pursues greener, more efficient spacecraft propulsion

China launches four satellites with Long March-2D rocket

NASA, SpaceX Update Crew Launch and Return Dates

IRON AND ICE
Mars rover to move south after testing

China reveals photos taken by Mars rover

Perseverance Rover Begins Its First Science Campaign on Mars

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity flies for 7th time

IRON AND ICE
Stringent training will help fulfill spacewalk mission

China in space for cooperation, not zero-sum race

Rocket blasts off carrying first Chinese crew to new space station

China ready to launch first crew to new space station

IRON AND ICE
A new animation shows 'A day without space'

Voyage 2050 sets sail: ESA chooses future science mission themes

SES Renews Long-Term Relationship with Comcast Technology Solutions

MIT study compares the four largest internet meganetworks

IRON AND ICE
Juice moves into Large Space Simulator

G7 nations commit to the safe and sustainable use of space

From NASA spacesuit research to racing suit underwear

Rare earth metals at the heart of China's rivalry with US, Europe

IRON AND ICE
Star's death will play a mean pinball with rhythmic planets

Liquid water on exomoons of free-floating planets

Connecting a star's chemical composition and planet formation

Scientists discover new exoplanet with an atmosphere ripe for study

IRON AND ICE
Next stop Jupiter as country's interplanetary ambitions grow

First images of Ganymede as Juno sailed by

Leiden astronomers calculate genesis of Oort cloud in chronologically order

NASA's Juno to get a close look at Jupiter's Moon Ganymede









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.