Mitigation of Hazardous Comets and AsteroidsM. J. S. Belton It is known that large asteroids and comets can collide with the Earth with severe consequences. Although the chances of a collision in a person's lifetime are small, collisions are a random process and could occur at any time. This book collects the latest thoughts and ideas of scientists concerned with mitigating the threat of hazardous asteroids and comets. It reviews current knowledge of the population of potential colliders, including their numbers, locations, orbits, and how warning times might be improved. The structural properties and composition of their interiors and surfaces are reviewed, and their orbital response to the application of pulses of energy is discussed. Difficulties of operating in space near, or on the surface of, very low mass objects are examined. The book concludes with a discussion of the problems faced in communicating the nature of the impact hazard to the public. |
Contents
Recent progress in interpreting the nature of the nearEarth object population | 1 |
Earth impactors orbital characteristics and warning times | 22 |
The role of radar in predicting and preventing asteroid and comet collisions with Earth | 38 |
Interior structures for asteroids and cometary nuclei | 66 |
What we know and dont know about surfaces of potentially hazardous small bodies | 104 |
About deflecting asteroids and comets | 113 |
Scientific requirements for understanding the nearEarth asteroid population | 141 |
Physical properties of comets and asteroids inferred from fireball observations | 153 |
Seismological investigation of asteroid and comet interiors | 234 |
Lander and penetrator science for nearEarth object mitigation studies | 266 |
Optimal interception and deflection of Earthapproaching asteroids using lowthrust electric propulsion | 292 |
Close proximity operations at small bodies orbiting hovering and hopping | 313 |
Mission operations in lowgravity regolith and dust | 337 |
Impacts and the public communicating the nature of the impact hazard | 353 |
Towards a national program to remove the threat of hazardous NEOs | 391 |
411 | |
Mitigation technologies and their requirements | 167 |
Peering inside nearEarth objects with radio tomography | 201 |
Other editions - View all
Mitigation of Hazardous Comets and Asteroids Michael J. S. Belton,Thomas H. Morgan,Nalin H. Samarasinha,Donald K. Yeomans No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
Ahrens and Harris albedo Arizona Press Asphaug assumed asteroids and comets astrometry binary binary asteroids Bottke collision cometary Comets and Asteroids computations crater deflection density detection diameter disruption distance distribution dynamics Earth effects ejecta equation Eros estimate explosive fireball frequency Gehrels gravity Icarus imaging impact hazard impactor impulse interior km s¹ lander layer lunar magnitude main belt mass material measurements Melosh meteor meteorites meteoroid mission mitigation system momentum Morbidelli motion near-Earth asteroids near-Earth objects NEO population nuclear nucleus observations optical orbit Ostro parameters penetrators Planet planetary porous potential predicted properties propulsion radar radio region regolith rotation rubble pile sample Scheeres Science seismic seismometers Shoemaker-Levy signal simulation small body solar system Space spacecraft Spaceguard specific energy structure surface survey T. H. Morgan target techniques thermal tomography Torino Scale trajectory Tucson University of Arizona velocity wave Yarkovsky effect