asteroids and TASS

["Peter R. McCullough" <pmcc@astro.uiuc.edu>]

I apologize in advance for the length of this email. At least it is
all plain text! (no image attachments).

Here's an interesting email I got yesterday that I pass on to TASS members
for their enjoyment. It relates to two recent comments by T.D. and A.M.
(repeated immediately below).

I am interested in Alain's comment especially because of its technical
and human meaning. There was a nice article by Howard Brewington on the
last page "commentary" of the popular magazine "CCD Astronomy" of Summer 1995.
Brewington predicted:

	"Visual comet hunters would have no chance against an all-sky
  CCD search. Such a network may not exist for a decade or more, but the
  exact timetable is not important. It will happen....take it from a
  passionate comet hunter: something will be lost as well. Who in the age
  of the CCD will feel the real-time thrill of discovery? ... that
  incredible moment when a visual comet hunter realizes that the light
  streaming into his or her eye is from something new?

There is an American folk tale about a machine versus man (John Henry?)
competition for drilling a tunnel. This CCD/eye situation reminds me
of that tale. 

Maybe the upside of the human meaning of all this will be that more
people will have greater opportunity to see deeper (both in terms of
light and meaning) with the extended capabilities of silicon. Already
one sees that in terms of CCDs allowing amateurs to probe deeper into
the sky than ever before, and from light polluted skies even. And TASS
is another example of silicon bringing greater opportunity and community
to humanity than taking away from it.

For an example of the "real-time trill of discovery" in the CCD/WWW
world, I point you to Uli's Bastian's tale at

	http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/stardial/projects/

Question for Alain (or anyone else out there): searching the web for
info on LINEAR turned up next to nothing, and an email to one of the
LL/MIT investigators bounced back to me. Can you tell us more  about
the LINEAR system and its goals? (or provide an easily accesible
reference)?

- Peter McCullough

**************************************************************************
>This was inspired by seeing "Deep Impact" last night.  This has removed all
>desire to be in any way associated with comet or asteroid searches.
>I will concentrate on all sky mapping.
> 
>(snip)
> 
>Tom Droege
**************************************************************************

>If you have followed recent devlopments on the asteroid fronts,
>you know that the role of amateurs in asteroid hunting is becoming
>smaller and smaller. The recently upgraded LINEAR project ( Lincoln
>Lab ) is cleaning about everything down to mag 18.5 or so.
>So don't spend time searching what you could do with a 135mm
>telephoto lens. Even the Mark4 will not cut it.
>Alain

**************************************************************************

>From derickson@mail.latin.pvt.k12.il.us  Thu May 14 08:37:10 1998
>To: pmcc@astro.uiuc.edu
>From: derickson@mail.latin.pvt.k12.il.us (Dennis Erickson)
>Subject: Fwd:  PANEL ISSUES REPORT ON ASTEROIDS; FLOOD OF DISCOVERIES EXPECTED
>
>>From: LorGehret <LorGehret@aol.com>
>>Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 09:23:18 EDT
>>To: derickson@latin.pvt.k12.il.us
>>Mime-Version: 1.0
>>Subject: Fwd:  PANEL ISSUES REPORT ON ASTEROIDS; FLOOD OF DISCOVERIES EXPECTED
>>
>>Content-ID: <0_895152198@inet_out.mail.aol.com.1>
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>>
>>Dennis,
>>Thought your students might be interested in this...plus there are some good
>>contacts at the bottom of the release.  Do you think you might be eligible for
>>some funding if you connected up with one of the principal investigators on
>>their asteroid hunting project?
>>Lor
>>
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>>Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 17:47:40 -0400
>>From: "STEPHEN P. MARAN" <HRSMARAN@eclair.gsfc.nasa.gov>
>>To: lorgehret@aol.com
>>Message-Id: <980513174740.24000f83@eclair.gsfc.nasa.gov>
>>Subject: PANEL ISSUES REPORT ON ASTEROIDS; FLOOD OF DISCOVERIES EXPECTED
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>>THE FOLLOWING RELEASE WAS RECEIVED FROM THE NATIONAL RESEARCH
>>COUNCIL, IN WASHINGTON, DC, AND IS FORWARDED FOR YOUR
>>INFORMATION.  Steve Maran, American Astronomical Society
>>
>>Contacts:  Ellen Bailey Pippenger, Media Relations Associate
>>Dumi Ndlovu, Media Relations Assistant
>>(202) 334-2138; e-mail <news@nas.edu>
>>
>>[EMBARGOED:  NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 5 P.M. EDT WEDNESDAY, MAY 13]
>>
>>PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT
>>
>>POLICIES NEEDED FOR REPORTING POTENTIAL HAZARDS
>>OF ASTEROID COLLISIONS WITH EARTH
>>
>>Recent news of a possible asteroid collision with Earth in 2028 sparked
>>intense scientific and popular interest worldwide.  When further data
>>revealed that the asteroid had virtually no chance of hitting this planet,
>>the episode prompted the astronomy community to re-evaluate how they
>communicate such information to the public.
>>
>>NASA and astronomers should develop protocols for reporting information
>>about asteroids that appear to pose a potential hazard to Earth, says a new
>>report from a National Research Council committee, which began its work
>>before the recent episode.  These protocols will be important because
>>several telescope facilities and new instruments now coming into operation
>>will dramatically increase the rate by which scientists are able to
>>discover asteroids and comets whose orbits approach Earth.  With the flood
>>of discoveries expected within the next decade also will come the risk of
>>false alarms.
>>
>>Some 400 Earth-approaching asteroids and comets larger than one kilometer
>>in diameter have been discovered so far, but only an estimated 10 percent
>>of the objects this size have been identified.  Of the thousands that may
>>be discovered, some initially -- for a few days, weeks, or even years --
>>may seem likely to collide with Earth, until enough data have been
>>collected to determine accurate orbits and interpreted to show otherwise.
>>Policies for handling such potentially important information will be
>>needed.  International scientific organizations, such as the International
>>Astronomical Union, could play a role in this task, the report says.
>>
>>Most asteroids orbit the sun in a belt between Jupiter and Mars, but
>>thousands have orbits that sometimes take them uncomfortably close to
>>Earth.  Geological processes such as erosion tend to erase scars left when
>>asteroids and comets occasionally hit Earth, but there are some notable
>>exceptions, such as Arizona's Meteor Crater.  Moreover, there is evidence
>>that an asteroid or comet some five to 10 kilometers in diameter created an
>>enormous crater in Yucatan, Mexico, some 65 million years ago.  That event
>>has been implicated in the extinction of dinosaurs and other living
>>organisms.  This information, coupled with recent evidence of the collision
>>of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in 1994, has led to increased
>>scientific and public interest in assessing the likelihood that a large
>>object might hit Earth again.
>>
>>Although asteroids and comets are potential hazards to Earth, these tiny
>>worlds offer a trove of clues to the solar system's birth and early
>>history, the report says.  Exploration of asteroids also may be used as
>>stepping stones toward manned missions to Mars.  Comets are frozen chunks
>>of ice and dust thought to be left from the formation of the planets in the
>>solar system.  Asteroids are minor planets, some made from almost pure
>>mixtures of nickel and iron like those at the Earth's core or from minerals
>>similar to those found in the Earth's crust, and others from exotic
>>combinations of carbon compounds.
>>
>>To better understand the scientific opportunities posed by asteroids and
>>comets, the report recommends that priorities be given to the following
>>areas:
>>
>>TELESCOPIC STUDIES.  NASA, other government agencies, and private research
>>organizations should further coordinate their programs using ground-based
>>telescopes to search for and study asteroids and comets.  Because a typical
>>asteroid or comet is very faint and travels by Earth so quickly, the
>>opportunity to view it may last no more than a few days or a week at most.
>>To conduct the detailed observations that these fleeting objects require,
>>routine or priority access to existing infrared and optical telescopes is
>>needed.  Otherwise, telescopes dedicated to characterizing the asteroids
>>and comets discovered by ongoing search programs should be developed.
>>
>>LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS.  More research is needed to increase
>>understanding of extraterrestrial materials, such as meteorites, which are
>>believed to come from asteroids.  Laboratory studies can address, for
>>example, the puzzle of how the environment in space changes the surfaces of
>>asteroids to such an extent that the physical characteristics of the most
>>common varieties of asteroids and meteorites do not match.  NASA, other
>>government agencies, and private research organizations should support
>>additional laboratory investigations of samples of these space-borne
>>objects.  New analytical instruments, such as those necessary to study very
>>small samples of meteorites, also are needed.
>>
>>ROBOTIC AND MANNED SPACECRAFT MISSIONS.  Spacecraft that pass by,
>>rendezvous with, or obtain samples from asteroids orbiting near Earth
>>provide important information on the detailed physical characteristics,
>>composition, and geologic histories of planetary bodies that is otherwise
>>unobtainable.  Moreover, Earth-approaching asteroids or comets are among
>>the most accessible objects in the solar system.  Indeed, some are easier
>>to reach than the moon.  NASA's Galileo missions, for example, provided a
>>wealth of information about asteroids Ida and Gaspra orbiting between Mars
>>and Jupiter.  Last year, a NASA spacecraft made detailed observations of
>>another asteroid, Mathilde.  The spacecraft is currently en route to a
>>February 1999 rendezvous with Eros, one of the largest Earth-approaching
>>asteroids.  NASA should continue such missions and improve spacecraft
>>technology, such as propulsion and navigation systems, to allow additional
>>low-cost rendezvous and sample-return missions.
>>
>>Should the United States choose to undertake further manned exploration
>>beyond Earth, a strong case can be made for beginning with missions to
>>Earth-approaching asteroids, the report says.  Because missions to these
>>asteroids represent deep-space exploration with moderate technical
>>challenges, they would be the least-expensive next step in human
>>exploration of space and could provide the experience and technology needed
>>for fruitful missions to Mars and beyond.  Five percent of
>>Earth-approaching asteroids are readily accessible by relatively short
>>space flights.
>>
>>A primary concern would be keeping the length of the mission as short as
>>possible to minimize hazards and risks to which astronauts are exposed,
>>including weightlessness, radiation, meteoroid impact, and equipment
>>failure.  Further research should be conducted to study specific technical
>>requirements necessary for a six- to 12-month round-trip expedition.  With
>>the anticipated increase in discoveries of Earth-approaching asteroids,
>>there likely will be opportunities for missions to one or more asteroids
>>each year.
>>
>>The study was funded by the NASA.  The National Research Council is the
>>principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the
>>National Academy of Engineering.  It is a private, non-profit institution
>>that provides science advice under a congressional charter.  A committee
>>roster follows.
>>
>>Copies of THE EXPLORATION OF NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS are available from the
>>National Academy Press for $10.00 (prepaid) plus shipping charges of $4.00
>>for the first copy and $.50 for each additional copy; tel. (202) 334-3313
>>or 1-800-624-6242.  Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and
>>Public Information (contacts listed above).
>>
>>[This announcement is available on the World Wide Web at <www.nas.edu>.]
>>
>>
>>NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
>>Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
>>Space Studies Board
>>
>>COMMITTEE ON PLANETARY AND LUNAR EXPLORATION
>>
>>RONALD GREELEY (CHAIR)
>>Professor of Geology
>>Department of Geology
>>Arizona State University
>>Tempe
>>
>>JEFFREY R. BARNES
>>Associate Professor
>>College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
>>Oregon State University
>>Corvallis
>>
>>RICHARD P. BINZEL
>>Professor
>>Department of Earth, Atmospheric,
>>and Planetary Sciences
>>Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>>Cambridge
>>
>>WENDY CALVIN
>>Geophysicist
>>Astrogeology Team
>>U.S. Geological Survey
>>Flagstaff, Ariz.
>>
>>RUSSELL F. DOOLITTLE*
>>Research Professor of Biochemistry
>>Center for Molecular Genetics
>>University of California
>>San Diego
>>
>>HEIDI HAMMEL
>>Principal Research Scientist
>>Department of Earth, Atmospheric,
>>and Planetary Sciences
>>Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>>Cambridge
>>
>>LARRY A. HASKIN
>>Professor of Chemistry and Earth and Planetary Sciences
>>Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
>>Washington University
>>St. Louis
>>
>>BRUCE JAKOSKY
>>Associate Professor, Atmospheric and Space Physics
>>Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
>>University of Colorado
>>Boulder
>>
>>KENNETH JEZEK
>>Director, Byrd Polar Research Center, and
>>Professor, Department of Geological Sciences
>>Ohio State University
>>Columbus
>>
>>GEORGE E. MCGILL
>>Professor Emeritus
>>Department of Geosciences
>>University of Massachusetts
>>Amherst
>>
>>HARRY Y. MCSWEEN JR.
>>Professor
>>Department of Geological Sciences
>>University of Tennessee
>>Knoxville
>>
>>MICHAEL MENDILLO
>>Professor, Department of Astronomy, and
>>Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
>>Boston University
>>Boston
>>
>>GERALD SCHUBERT
>>Professor of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
>>Department of Earth and Space Science
>>University of California
>>Los Angeles
>>
>>EVERETT SHOCK
>>Associate Professor
>>Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
>>Washington University
>>St. Louis
>>
>>RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF
>>
>>DAVID H. SMITH
>>Senior Program Officer
>>
>>_________________________________________
>>(*) Member, National Academy of Sciences
>>
>
>%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
>Dennis Erickson
>Science/Computer Teacher
>
>The Latin School of Chicago
>312-573-4567
>
>Keep your eye on the sky!!