NASA’s Efforts to Identify NEOs and Mitigate Risk
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:29 pmHi,
You'll very likely have seen a news report regarding the Office of Inspector General's report into NASA's near earth object identification and risk mitigation project. It is less likely you'll have seen the report. It is available from here. There is some interesting information included and some great project names.
You'll very likely have seen a news report regarding the Office of Inspector General's report into NASA's near earth object identification and risk mitigation project. It is less likely you'll have seen the report. It is available from here. There is some interesting information included and some great project names.
Scientists classify comets and asteroids that pass within 28 million miles of Earth’s orbit as near-Earth objects (NEOs). Composed of rock, ice, and organic compounds, comets are thought to originate from an area beyond the orbit of Pluto but occasionally have orbits that bring them closer to the Sun where they heat up and may display a visible atmosphere and tail due to the effects of solar wind and radiation. Asteroids are primarily rocky or metallic bodies that orbit the Sun, with most residing in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids that collide and break into smaller fragments are the source of most NEOs. Fragments of comets or asteroids that enter the Earth’s atmosphere are known as meteors. Most meteors are small and vaporize in the Earth’s atmosphere as “shooting stars” before reaching the planet’s surface. A meteor that reaches the Earth’s surface is known as a meteorite.
The NEO Program provides funding to several other related NASA projects, including the Ka-Band Objects Observation and Monitoring Project (KaBOOM)....