DOCSLIB.ORG

Asteroid Impacts

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Asteroid Impacts “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the Earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.” Revelations 9:1 “And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.” Revelations 9:2 Asteroid Impacts A descriptive overview of past events, current ideas, and future consequences. Introduction Historically An interesting concept that was not seriously explored or studied. Present Hot topic of debate and concern due to recent studies. Future New Idea? We knew impacts were common to our nearest neighbor. Assumed that lack of atmosphere led to very little protection. Thus impacts were more frequent. New Information Space probes to other planets. Voyager Missions Saw impact craters on other bodies. Satellites around Earth. Noticed possible sites here. Mimas One of the moons around Saturn. Impact crater indicates that impact was just below the level needed to rip moon apart. Basis for the Death Star. Moons Only? Mercury Shows signs of significant impacting in past. But once again, Mercury lacks an atmosphere. Natural Protection Initially thought atmosphere good enough protection. Only few sites recognized around globe as impact sites. Meteor Crater in Arizona New Technology, New Sites Started to locate other sites due to new and improved technology. Shuttle view of spacestation over Manicouagan, Canada. Started looking for sites instead of just chance findings. What are we seeing? Did not realize a lot of sites on Earth were impact craters. Views from space improved our information. Erosion and human activity destroying sites. Other Sites Middlesboro, KY. City built inside ancient crater. 6 km wide Over 300 million years old. Serpent Mound, OH Found just north of Ky. border. Mound built on just part of impact ring. Built about 800 AD by Native Americans. Over 320 million years old. El’gygytgyn, Russia Crater has filled with water over time. About 3.5 million years old. 18 km in diameter. Roter-Kamm, Namibia Found on African plains in Namibia. About 3.7 million years old . 2.5 km in diameter. Manicouagan, Canada Circular lake with town in middle. 100 km in diameter. About 214 million years old. Wabar, Saudi Arabia Found in desert. See people in background for scale. About .116 km in diameter. Approximately 140 years old. Wolfe Creek, Australia Found in Australian Outback. About 0.875 km in diameter. A little over 300,000 years old. Tunguska, Siberia June 30, 1908 at 7:40 in the morning. Massive explosion in an uninhabited area of Siberian Province of Russia. Tunguska, Siberia Asteroid or comet exploded in the atmosphere at an altitude of about 6 miles. Knocked down about 80 million trees. Shock wave knocked people off their feet and broke windows hundreds of miles away. Tunguska, Siberia Blast destruction area covered 830 square miles. Leonid Kulik was the first scientist to reach the area in 1927. Found no crater! Tunguska, Siberia Later investigators found microscopic glass spheres. Chemical analysis revealed high levels of nickel and iridium. These chemicals are very common in meteorites, but not on Earth. Chicxulub, Mexico Found off coast of Yucatan Peninsula. About 65 million years old. 170 km across. Dinosaur Killer? Sonar image of sea floor. Barringer Crater, AZ Meteor Crater National Park Original finder wanted to mine iron from meteorite. About 3,000 years old. 1.186 km in diameter. Strings of Impact Craters So far only looked at single impact sites. Due to recent evidence, believe that impacts occur in pairs or strings of multiple impacts. Evidence from other sites and one on Earth. Moon String Found on side of Moon away from Earth by Apollo mission. First clue came from Shoemaker-Levy 9 Impact. Shoemaker-Levy 9 Saw asteroid falling toward Jupiter. Asteroid broke apart. Struck Jupiter in a sequence. Spread across surface due to planet rotation. SL-9 Single Impact Callisto Moon of Jupiter Found by space probe. Multiple string of craters. Clearwater, Canada Impact pair in Northern Canada. Filled with water that melted as glaciers receded during last ice age. Most asteroids believed to have companion. Moon Creation Often wondered why Earth has such large moon when compared to moons of other planets. Mars sized object struck Earth, material blown off became Moon. Hollywood Recent movies have increased public awareness. Armageddon Deep Impact Dinosaur Extinction Theory of Luis Alvarez and his son Walter. Dinosaur Killer Asteroid had mass of trillion tons. Released energy equivalent to 5 billion atomic bombs. Crater 250 km across. Deep enough to penetrate thru crust. Dinosaur Killer Lifted 100 trillion tons of dust into air. Shut off sunlight for several months. Global acid rain. Large-scale fires. Forests and grasslands. How Destructive Can It Be? Speed is critical. Size of object is important. Physical structure of object plays role. Location of impact. Speed Each time speed doubles, damage quadruples. 50 mph = 50 joules 100 mph = ? joules Answer = 200 Most travel at about 6 miles a second! Size Does Matter The more massive an object, the more energy it has in it. Example: Tractor trailer moving at 50 mph will do a lot more damage than a bicycle moving at same speed. Size < 10 meters Don’t worry unless directly under it. 10 meters Rule of Thumb Crater about 20 times bigger than rock 10m x 20 = 200m crater Average speed. Size 100 meters 2 km crater Equals best craters from nuclear testing. Size 1000 meters 20 km crater Secondary effects become global Water Strike 1000 meter asteroid generates about 50 m tall wave. Rule of Thumb Wave increases 40x when moves to shallows. Becomes 2000 m (2km) in shallows. Cosmic Shooting Gallery What are the odds of impacts? What can we do to save ourselves? Frequency Pea Size – 10/hour Walnut Size – 1/hour Grapefruit – 1/10 hrs Basketball – 1/month 50m – 1/century 1km – 1/ 100,000 yrs 2km – 1/500,000 yrs Frequency Dinosaur type killer asteroids – 1/50 to 100 million years. Last occurrence was 65 million years ago. We are due! Next Century Planetary scientists estimate a 1/1,000 chance of major impact in this century. Odds decrease by factor of 10 each century. Potential Threats? About 2,000 objects of 1 km diameter cross Earth orbit. 10,000 objects at 500 meters 30,000 objects at 100 meters 150 million at 10 meters What is Being Done? In order to do anything, must locate asteroids and comets. Spacewatch University of Arizona NEAT Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking Spacewatch Project Steward Observatory on Kitt Peak. Robotic telescope photos sky. Computer analyzes images for motion. Alerts astronomers. 2,000 a month NEAT Sponsored by NASA and U.S. Air Force. Telescope in Hawaii. Also uses computers. Has detected over 10,000 asteroids. The End? Location With current technology, it is probable that we could detect any threatening asteroid years in advance. What can we do? Small Nudge The farther away the asteroid is, the less energy is needed to shift its path. Changing the speed by 1 mph would be enough. Path of an oncoming asteroid. Earth Requires only a change of 1 degree in course! 1 Billion Miles Away Earth Requires only a change of 10 degree in course! 500 Million Miles Away Earth Requires only a change of 45 degree in course! 100 Million Miles Away Earth Plan A Crash a rocket into the asteroid. Deflect its course just a tiny amount. Probably only good for small ones. < 300 ft. wide Don Quixote European Space Agency is studying a design of a space mission to accomplish Plan A. The first “real” asteroid deflection mission ever designed. More on this later! Plan B Explode an atomic weapon near asteroid in space. Heat one side causing material to explode away. Newton’s Third Law of Motion takes effect. Plan C Build a rocket engine on one side of asteroid. Rocket fires for several years. Slowly changes course over long period of time. Problems All three plans have problems. Do not have the technology yet. Requires finding asteroid years in advance. Asteroid breaks up! Future Is there hope? Advances in technology. Spacewatch and NEAT programs. We need to get a permanent space base to aid in protection. Deep Impact 2005 In the Summer of 2005, NASA accomplished the Deep Impact Mission. Sent a probe to comet Temple 1. Had a projectile that struck the comet while the mother satellite took photos. Stated Mission The stated mission for Deep Impact was to cause matter from the comet to be ejected into space. Then NASA scientists would analyze the results to see what makes up comets. Was there another mission? Other Mission? Maybe this was a test to see if they could hit a comet or asteroid. If they are testing it, should we be worried? Maybe , maybe not? Do you think the government would tell us if it were coming? Apophis Apophis is an Ancient Egyptian spirit of evil and destruction, determined to plunge the world into total darkness. Name of an asteroid that is of concern to astronomers. Apophis 390m wide, discovered in June of 2004. In December 2004, odds of impact were 1 in 37! On April 13, 2029, this asteroid will pass pretty close to Earth. A Friday! 22,600 miles from earth center. Have ruled out a collision in that year due to increased tracking. Apophis Yet, as the asteroid passes Earth’s gravity, its course may be changed, leading to a possible impact in 2036. The chances right now of Apophis hitting the right course for a collision after passing Earth in 2029 is 1 in 5,500.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) Formulation Assessment and Support Team (FAST) Final Report
    NASA/TM–2016-219011 Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) Formulation Assessment and Support Team (FAST) Final Report Daniel D. Mazanek and David M. Reeves, Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia Paul A. Abell, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas Erik Asphaug, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona Neyda M. Abreu, Penn State DuBois, DuBois, Pennsylvania James F. Bell, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona William F. Bottke, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado Daniel T. Britt and Humberto Campins, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida Paul W. Chodas, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California Carolyn M. Ernst, John Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland Marc D. Fries, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas Leslie S. Gertsch, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri Daniel P. Glavin, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland Christine M. Hartzell, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland Amanda R. Hendrix, Planetary Science Institute, Niwot, Colorado Joseph A. Nuth, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland Daniel J. Scheeres, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado Joel C. Sercel, TransAstra Corporation, Lake View Terrace, California Driss Takir, United States Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona Kris Zacny, Honeybee Robotics, Pasadena, California February 2016 NASA STI Program ... in Profile Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the CONFERENCE PUBLICATION. advancement of aeronautics and space science. The Collected papers from scientific and technical NASA scientific and technical information (STI) conferences, symposia, seminars, or other program plays a key part in helping NASA maintain meetings sponsored or this important role. co-sponsored by NASA. The NASA STI program operates under the auspices SPECIAL PUBLICATION. Scientific, technical, or of the Agency Chief Information Officer.
    [Show full text]
  • In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment for the Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission
    EPSC Abstracts Vol. 10, EPSC2015-75, 2015 European Planetary Science Congress 2015 EEuropeaPn PlanetarSy Science CCongress c Author(s) 2015 In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment for the Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission J. Elliott (1), M. Fries (2), S. Love (2), R.G. Sellar (1), G. Voecks (1), and D. Wilson (1). (1) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology ([email protected]); (2) Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Abstract orders of magnitude less costly than current practice. Such an advance would remove or reduce the cost of The Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission (ARCM) volatile transport as a significant barrier to human represents a unique opportunity to perform in-situ exploration of the Solar System. testing of concepts that could lead to full-scale exploitation of asteroids for their valuable resources [1]. This paper describes a concept for an astronaut- operated “suitcase” experiment to would demonstrate asteroid volatile extraction using a solar-heated oven and integral cold trap in a configuration scalable to full-size asteroids. Conversion of liberated water into H2 and O2 products would also be demonstrated through an integral processing and storage unit. The plan also includes development of a local prospecting system consisting of a suit-mounted multi-spectral imager to aid the crew in choosing optimal samples, both for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and for potential return to Earth. Figure 1: Mirror concentrates sunlight uniformly 1. Introduction over sealed black sphere containing a sample (for the 1:75 subscale experiment) or an entire 10 m volatile- Use of asteroid-based resources represents a truly rich asteroid (for full-scale ISRU).
    [Show full text]
  • Parauapebas Meteorite from Pará, Brazil, a “Hammer” Breccia Chondrite
    SILEIR RA A D B E E G D E A O D L E O I G C I A O ARTICLE BJGEO S https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-4889202020190085 Brazilian Journal of Geology D ESDE 1946 Parauapebas meteorite from Pará, Brazil, a “hammer” breccia chondrite Daniel Atencio1* , Dorília Cunha1 , André Luiz Ribeiro Moutinho2 , Maria Elizabeth Zucolotto3 , Amanda Araujo Tosi3 , Caio Vidaurre Nassif Villaça3 Abstract The Parauapebas meteorite, third official meteorite discovered in the Brazilian Amazon region, is a “hammer meteorite” which fell on De- cember 9th, 2013, in the city of Parauapebas, Pará State, Brazil. Mineralogy is dominated by forsterite, enstatite, iron, troilite, and tetrataenite. Albite, chromite, diopside, augite, pigeonite, taenite, and merrillite are minor components. Two main clasts are separated by black shock-in- duced melt veins. One clast exhibits an abundance of chondrules with well-defined margins set on a recrystallized matrix composed mostly of forsterite and enstatite, consistent with petrologic type 4 chondrites. The other clast displays chondrules with outlines blurring into the groundmass as evidence of increasing recrystallization, consistent with petrologic type 5 chondrites. The clasts of petrologic type 4 have a fine-grained texture compared to those of type 5. It is a genomict breccia (indicated by shock melt veins) with the clasts and matrix of the same compositional group, but different petrologic types, H4 and H5. The melted outer crust of the Parauapebas meteorite is comprised of forsterite with interstitial dendritic iron oxide, and is rich in irregular vesicles, which are evidence of the rapid formation of the crust. The type specimen is deposited in the Museum of Geosciences of the University of São Paulo, Brazil.
    [Show full text]
  • Small Spacecraft in Small Solar System Body Applications
    Small Spacecraft in Small Solar System Body Applications Jan Thimo Grundmann Jan-Gerd Meß DLR Institute of Space Systems DLR Institute of Space Systems Robert-Hooke-Strasse 7 Robert-Hooke-Strasse 7 28359 Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany Germany +49-421-24420-1107 +49-421-24420-1206 [email protected] [email protected] Jens Biele Patric Seefeldt DLR Space Operations and Astronaut DLR Institute of Space Systems Training – MUSC Robert-Hooke-Strasse 7 51147 Cologne, 28359 Bremen, Germany Germany +49-2203-601-4563 +49-421-24420-1609 [email protected] [email protected] Bernd Dachwald Peter Spietz Faculty of Aerospace Engineering DLR Institute of Space Systems FH Aachen Univ. of Applied Sciences Robert-Hooke-Strasse 7 Hohenstaufenallee 6 28359 Bremen, 52064 Aachen, Germany Germany +49-241-6009-52343 / -52854 +49-421-24420-1104 [email protected] [email protected] Christian D. Grimm Tom Spröwitz DLR Institute of Space Systems DLR Institute of Space Systems Robert-Hooke-Strasse 7 Robert-Hooke-Strasse 7 28359 Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany Germany +49-421-24420-1266 +49-421-24420-1237 [email protected] [email protected] Caroline Lange Stephan Ulamec DLR Institute of Space Systems DLR Space Operations and Astronaut Robert-Hooke-Strasse 7 Training – MUSC 28359 Bremen, 51147 Cologne, Germany Germany +49-421-24420-1159 +49-2203-601-4567 [email protected] [email protected] Abstract— In the wake of the successful PHILAE landing on environment has led to new methods which transcend comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and the launch of the traditional evenly-paced and sequential development.
    [Show full text]
  • National Camping School’S Annual Theme Program Experiments
    2021 Weird Science National Resource Book Camping School Inside this Issue: 2021 FUN! Setting the tone for FUN! Camp Station Location Names Gathering Activities Prayers Opening & Closing Ceremonies Skits Cheers/Applauses Jokes/Run-ons Songs Audience Participation Games & Activities “Weird Science” Crafts National Camping School’s Annual Theme Program Experiments Each year a theme-related resource booklet is STEM produced and distributed through the Cub Scouting National Camp Schools. Snack Ideas The material provided is designed to be used Theme Related Ideas in the districts and councils presenting Cub Scout camping activities. Clipart Upcoming Themes Welcome! The material in this resource book is designed to serve your district or council in providing tremendous Cub Scout day camping events! Many resources were used to compile the information you will find in this booklet. THANK YOU to the leaders who sent in ideas and suggestions and THANK YOU to those who contributed to the resources used. We could not have done it without you!!! We appreciate your help and all that you do for our scouts and day camp!! WEIRD SCIENCE - What experimental fun you will have with this theme! Learn about what is in a scientific laboratory, the why and how things work and all about peculiar and fun experiments. Go outdoors and learn about the world we live in and how science plays a part in all of it. Your adventures may keep you in the lab or take you into the field where investigations and experiments are taking place. Whatever you do, make it fun and memorable for the Cub Scouts and leaders attending! All materials in this book reflect the high standards of the BSA.
    [Show full text]
  • Assembled Kinetic Impactor for Deflecting Asteroids Via Combining the Spacecraft with the Launch Vehicle Final Stage
    Assembled Kinetic Impactor for Deflecting Asteroids via Combining the Spacecraft with the Launch Vehicle Final Stage Yirui Wang1,2, Mingtao Li* 1,2, Zizheng Gong3, Jianming Wang4, Chuankui Wang4, Binghong Zhou 1,2 1 National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences 2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences 3 Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering, China Academy of Space Technology 4 Beijing Institute of Astronautical Systems Engineering, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology *Correspondence Author E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Asteroid Impacts pose a major threat to all life on the Earth. Deflecting the asteroid from the impact trajectory is an important way to mitigate the threat. A kinetic impactor remains to be the most feasible method to deflect the asteroid. However, due to the constraint of the launch capability, an impactor with the limited mass can only produce a very limited amount of velocity increment for the asteroid. In order to improve the deflection efficiency of the kinetic impactor strategy, this paper proposed a new concept called the Assembled Kinetic Impactor (AKI), which is combining the spacecraft with the launch vehicle final stage. That is, after the launch vehicle final stage sending the spacecraft into the nominal orbit, the spacecraft-rocket separation will not be performed and the spacecraft controls the AKI to impact the asteroid. By making full use of the mass of the launch vehicle final stage, the mass of the impactor will be increased, which will cause the improvement of the deflection efficiency. According to the technical data of Long March 5 (CZ-5) launch vehicle, the missions of deflecting Bennu are designed to demonstrate the power of the AKI concept.
    [Show full text]
  • Mars Insight Landing Press Kit
    Introduction National Aeronautics and Space Administration Mars InSight Landing Press Kit NOVEMBER 2018 www.nasa.gov 1 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Media Services 6 Quick Facts: Landing Facts 11 Quick Facts: Mars at a Glance 15 Mission: Overview 17 Mission: Spacecraft 29 Mission: Science 40 Mission: Landing Site 54 Program & Project Management 56 Appendix: Mars Cube One Tech Demo 58 Appendix: Gallery 62 Appendix: Science Objectives, Quantified 64 Appendix: Historical Mars Missions 65 Appendix: NASA’s Discovery Program 67 2 Introduction Mars InSight Landing Press Kit Introduction NASA’s next mission to Mars -- InSight -- is expected to land on the Red Planet on Nov. 26, 2018. InSight is a mission to Mars, but it is also more than a Mars mission. It will help scientists understand the formation and early evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth. In addition to InSight, a technology demonstration called Mars Cube One (MarCO) is flying separately to the Red Planet. It will test a new kind of data relay from another InSight will help us learn about the formation of Mars -- as well planet for the first time, though InSight’s success is not as all rocky planets. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech dependent on MarCO. Five Things to Know About Landing 1. Landing on Mars is difficult Only about 40 percent of the missions ever sent to Mars -- by any space agency -- have been successful. The U.S. is the only nation whose missions have survived a Mars landing. The thin atmosphere -- just 1 percent of Earth’s -- means that there’s little friction to slow down a spacecraft.
    [Show full text]
  • Galactic Observer
    alactic Observer John J. McCarthy Observatory GVolume 5, No. 9 September 2012 As Curiosity Rover makes its first baby steps for mankind, NASA is already planning for future missions to Mars. Cutting to The InSight lander ("Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat the Core Transport" will employ a German-made internal hammer - or "tractor mole" - to probe the Martian crust and descend up to 16 feet (five meters) below the surface. The mission will attempt to find out why Earth and its half-sister have evolved so differently. For more information, go to http://discovery.nasa.gov/index.cfml Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The John J. McCarthy Observatory Galactic Observvvererer New Milford High School Editorial Committee 388 Danbury Road Managing Editor New Milford, CT 06776 Bill Cloutier Phone/Voice: (860) 210-4117 Production & Design Phone/Fax: (860) 354-1595 Allan Ostergren www.mccarthyobservatory.org Website Development JJMO Staff John Gebauer It is through their efforts that the McCarthy Observatory Marc Polansky has established itself as a significant educational and Josh Reynolds recreational resource within the western Connecticut Technical Support community. Bob Lambert Steve Barone Allan Ostergren Dr. Parker Moreland Colin Campbell Cecilia Page Dennis Cartolano Joe Privitera Mike Chiarella Bruno Ranchy Josh Reynolds Jeff Chodak Route Bill Cloutier Barbara Richards Charles Copple Monty Robson Randy Fender Don Ross John Gebauer Gene Schilling Elaine Green Diana Shervinskie Tina Hartzell Katie Shusdock Tom Heydenburg Jon Wallace Jim Johnstone Bob Willaum Bob Lambert Paul Woodell Parker Moreland, PhD Amy Ziffer In This Issue SILENCED FOOTFALLS ................................................... 3 SUNRISE AND SUNSET .................................................. 13 END OF THE YEAR OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM ......................
    [Show full text]
  • Meteorites of Michigan – Page 1 of 20 Geological Survey ILLUSTRATIONS Bulletin 5 Frontispiece
    Sketch of Widmanstatten pattern, see the glossary for more information. Meteorites of Michigan – Page 1 of 20 Geological Survey ILLUSTRATIONS Bulletin 5 Frontispiece. Photograph of September 17, 1966 fireball. ......4 METEORITES OF MICHIGAN Figure 1. Region of observation of December 1965 fireball ....4 Figure 2. Train of December 1965 fireball...............................5 by Figure 3. Train of December 1965 fireball...............................5 VON DEL CHAMBERLAIN Figure 4. Trajectory of December 1965 fireball .......................6 Astronomer Figure 5. Orbit of December 1965 meteorite...........................6 Abrams Planetarium Figure 6. Observations of September 1966 fireball.................6 Michigan State University Figure 7. High velocity projectiles............................................9 Illustrated by James M. Campbell Figure 8. Cross section of stony meteorite............................10 Michigan Department of Conservation Figure 9. Stony-iron meteorite...............................................10 Lansing, 1968 Figure 10. Section of Central Missouri iron meteorite ...........11 Figure 11. Allegan meteorite .................................................14 Figure 12. Grand Rapids meteorite .......................................14 CONTENTS Figure. 13. Iron River meteorite.............................................15 ABSTRACT .....................................................................2 Figure 14. Kalkaska meteorite...............................................15 GLOSSARY.....................................................................2
    [Show full text]
  • Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) Formulation Assessment and Support Team (FAST) Final Report Draft for Public Comment
    This document is a NASA working document and is subject to further revision. This document been reviewed for release to the public and is not export controlled. Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) Formulation Assessment and Support Team (FAST) Final Report Draft for Public Comment November 23, 2015 This document is a NASA working document and is subject to further revision. This document been reviewed for release to the public and is not export controlled. This Page left Intentionally Blank 1 This document is a NASA working document and is subject to further revision. This document been reviewed for release to the public and is not export controlled. Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 3 FAST Overview ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................... 13 Asteroid Redirect Mission Background ................................................................................................... 13 Study Request .......................................................................................................................................... 15 Membership ...........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 2016 in REVIEW the Juno Spacecraft’S Successful Entry Into Jupiter’S Orbit July 4 and Dawn’S Continuing Exploration of the Dwarf Planet Ceres Led Highlights for 2016
    DECEMBER Jet Propulsion 2016 Laboratory VOLUME 46 NUMBER 12 2016 IN REVIEW The Juno spacecraft’s successful entry into Jupiter’s orbit July 4 and Dawn’s continuing exploration of the dwarf planet Ceres led highlights for 2016. Michael Watkins became JPL’s director during the summer, and the Laboratory’s suite of Earth science missions kept pace in providing key measurements of a changing world. JPL’s Mars rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity, explored valleys, craters and mountains, and Cassini readied for its final months of exploration. Jovian joy Leaders of the Juno mission celebrate the spacecraft’s July 4 arrival at Jupiter to begin its 32-orbit science mission at the gas giant. Project Manager Rick Nybak- ken, facing the camera, hugs JPL’s act- ing director for solar system exploration, Richard Cook. Behind Nybakken is JPL Director Michael Watkins. More Ceres ahead The Dawn spacecraft completed its primary mis- sion in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter on June 30 and NASA extended it for an additional year. Since March 2015, it’s been explor- ing dwarf planet Ceres, and is currently measuring cosmic rays in its sixth science orbit. At right is Occator Crater with its intriguing bright regions, composed of reflective salt (principally sodium car- bonate) left on the ground when briny water froze before sublimating. Dawn spent 14 months in orbit around the giant asteroid Vesta, departing in 2012. Continued on page 2 2 2016 IN REVIEW Continued from page 1 Universe New leadership Eyes on the home planet Michael Watkins became director • Using data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, a study by JPL and partner institutions of JPL on July 1, 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • For OSIRIS-Rex: Identifying Regional Elemental Enrichment on Asteroids
    The REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) for OSIRIS-REx: identifying regional elemental enrichment on asteroids The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Allen, Branden, Jonathan Grindlay, Jaesub Hong, Richard P. Binzel, Rebecca Masterson, Niraj K. Inamdar, Mark Chodas, et al. 2013. "The REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) for OSIRIS- REx: Identifying Regional Elemental Enrichment on Asteroids." Presented at Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions VI, San Diego, California, United States, August 25, 2013. In Proc. SPIE 8840, Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions VI, ed. by Mark A. Kahan and Marie B. Levine, 8840M. Published Version doi:10.1117/12.2041715 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:14068411 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#OAP The REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) for OSIRIS-REx: Identifying Regional Elemental Enrichment on Asteroids Branden Allena, Jonathan Grindlaya, Jaesub Honga, Richard P. Binzelb, Rebecca Mastersonc, Niraj K. Inamdarb,c, Mark Chodasc, Matthew W. Smithc, Marshall W. Bautzd, Steven E. Kisseld, Joel Villasenord, Miruna Oprescua, Nicholas Indunia, aHarvard College Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA bDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA cSpace Systems Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA dKavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA ABSTRACT The OSIRIS-REx Mission was selected under the NASA New Frontiers program and is scheduled for launch in September of 2016 for a rendezvous with, and collection of a sample from the surface of asteroid Bennu in 2019.
    [Show full text]