Astronomy - Asteroids and Comets.

An Asteroid Beckons - http://riofriospacetime.blogspot.com/2008/05/asteroid-beckons.html - From the UK Guardian May 7: NASA engineers have identified asteroid 2000SG344 as a potential landing site for astronauts. A study to be released next month suggests a 3-6 month mission with 2 weeks spent on the surface. When this 40 meter object was discovered in 2000, it was briefly considered a danger to Earth. 2000SG344's orbit close to Earth makes it a tempting target, one of hundreds of new worlds. - A Babe in the Universe - Tuesday, May 06, 2008.

BBC Radio 4 Leading Edge - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/leadingedge_20080214.shtml - Deep Impact - Fresh from its first success - investigating the interior make-up of comets - NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft is charged with a new mission. - Professor Michael A’Hearn of the University of Maryland tells Geoff about the search for new, extra solar planets. - 14 February 2007.

BBC Science/Technology News - Asteroid mission concept unveiled - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6452311.stm - A Nasa scientist has proposed using the replacement to the space shuttle to land on a near-Earth asteroid. - Paul Rincon - 14 March 2007.

BBC Science/Technology News -

British plan to tackle asteroids

A team of British scientists are developing plans for a spacecraft that could stop large asteroids from hitting the Earth - 31 August 2009.

'Life chemical' detected in comet

Scientists identify the amino acid glycine, a fundamental chemical building block of life, in a comet for the first time.

BBC Science/Technology News - Nasa readies for asteroid mission - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6247222.stm - The Dawn spacecraft is scheduled for launch in July - A Nasa spacecraft set for launch early next month will explore the two biggest asteroids in the Solar System. - BBC News Technology - 27 June 2007.

BBC Science/Technology News - Probe gets eyeful of Mars moon - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7534300.stm - Europe's Mars Express spacecraft has returned some remarkable close-up images of the Red Planet's Phobos moon. - The probe passed just 93km from the rock on 23 July, allowing its High Resolution Stereo Camera to take extremely detailed pictures. - Potato-shaped Phobos is 27km in its longest dimension and is thought to be a captured-asteroid or a remnant of the material that formed the planets. - The new images include portions of the moon not previously photographed. - 30 July 2008.

BBC Science/Technology News - Rosetta probe makes asteroid pass - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7599962.stm - The Rosetta space probe has made a close pass of asteroid Steins. - The European Space Agency mission flew past the 5km-wide rock at a distance of about 800km, taking pictures and recording other scientific data. - The information was sent back to Earth for processing late on Friday and released to the public on Saturday. - The asteroid pass is a bonus for Rosetta. Its prime goal is to catch and orbit Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko out near Jupiter in 2014. - 6 September 2008.

BBC Science/Technology News - Successful launch for Nasa probe - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7015259.stm - Nasa's Dawn space probe has begun an eight-year journey to the Solar System's asteroid belt. - 27 September 2007.

BBC Science/Technology News - UK plan to track asteroid threat - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6971216.stm - UK space scientists and engineers have designed a mission to investigate a potentially hazardous asteroid. - 31 August 2007.

BBC Science/Technology News - US team wins asteroid competition - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7265608.stm - A US team has won a $50,000 (£25,000) competition to design a spacecraft to rendezvous with and track the path of an asteroid which may threaten Earth. - The winning entry, led by SpaceWorks Engineering, will shadow asteroid Apophis for 300 days. - 26 February 2008.

Colony Worlds - Video: New Way For Landing Humans On Asteroids - http://www.colonyworlds.com/2007/08/video-new-way-for-landing-humans-on.html - Wednesday August 01 2007.

ESA Rosetta - http://rosetta.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=13 - Rosetta has a complex trajectory including three Earth and one Mars gravity assist manoeuvre before finally reaching the comet. On arrival at 67P Rosetta will enter orbit around the comet and stay with it as it journeys in towards the Sun.

ESA - Rosetta Mission - http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/index.html - ESA's Rosetta spacecraft will be the first to undertake the long-term exploration of a comet at close quarters. It comprises a large orbiter, which is designed to operate for a decade at large distances from the Sun, and a small lander. Each of these carries a large complement of scientific experiments designed to complete the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted.

ESA Rosetta spacecraft meets asteroid Steins - http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMM6L0SAKF_0.html - ESA PR 35-2008. ESA's Rosetta spacecraft will make a historic encounter with asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008. The doors of ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, will be open to the media as of 18:00 on 5 September to follow the fly-by events. - First images and results will be available for presentation to the media during a press conference which will be held at ESOC the following day, Saturday 6 September at 12:00 CEST. - 25 August 2008.

NASA Deep Impact Mission - http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/index.html - Deep Impact Mission to Comet Tempel 1.

NASA Dawn Mission - http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/ - Dawn will investigate two of the largest proto-planets in the main asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres.

NASA Spaceguard survey - Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards - http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/intro.cfm - The Earth orbits the Sun in a sort of cosmic shooting gallery, subject to impacts from comets and asteroids. It is only fairly recently that we have come to appreciate that these impacts by asteroids and comets (often called Near Earth Objects, or NEOs) pose a significant hazard to life and property. Most of the hazard is from asteroid impacts; comets make only a minor contribution. Although the annual probability of the Earth being struck by a large asteroid or comet is extremely small, the consequences of such a collision are so catastrophic that it is prudent to assess the nature of the threat and prepare to deal with it.

NASA Spacewatch - Near Earth Object Program - http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/programs/spacewatch.html - Spacewatch: Beginning in 1984, the 0.9-meter, Newtonian f/5 Steward Observatory Spacewatch telescope has been used full time for surveying comets and asteroids.

Scenta - British team called in to help prevent asteroid impact - http://www.scenta.co.uk/home/1703857/british-team-called-in-to-help-prevent-asteroid-impact.htm - Plans drawn up to combat giant rock’s collision course. - Apophis, a remainder of an old solar system, could collide with Earth in the year 2036. It measures 240 miles wide, and is mainly made of rock. - August 31, 2007.

Stardust Mission - http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html - NASA's Comet sample return mission.

Universe Today - picture of Mars' moon Phobos, captured in colour (and 3D) by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Universe Today - An Elegant Proposal for Near Earth Asteroid Deflection - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Although the chances of an asteroid hitting Earth appear to be small for any given year, the consequences of such an event would be monumental. The science community has come up with some ideas and proposals for ways to mitigate the threat of an incoming asteroid hitting the Earth. Some proposals suggest almost Hollywood type theatrics of launching nuclear weapons to destroy the asteroid, or slamming a spacecraft into a Near Earth Object to blow it apart. But other ideas employ more simple and elegant propositions to merely alter the trajectory of the space rock. One such plan uses a two-piece solar sail called a solar photon thruster that draws on solar energy and resources from the asteroid itself. - February 22nd, 2008.

Universe Today - Animation of a Human Mission to an Asteroid - Although NASA is gearing up to send humans back to the Moon, and eventually Mars, mission planners are also considering missions to Near Earth Objects (NEOs). - July 30th, 2007.

Universe Today - Asteroids.

Universe Today - Asteroid Sample Return Mission Proposed - March 14th, 2007.

Universe Today - Bad Idea: Blowing Up Asteroids with Nuclear Missiles - Written by Ian O'Neill - The first thing that comes to mind when someone asks: "How do we deflect a near Earth asteroid?" is "Fire some nuclear missiles at it." However, this might not be the best course of action. Akin to opening a walnut with a sledgehammer, there might be a better, less messy option. This is what Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart thinks at least. Last year, NASA issued a report suggesting they were seriously considering a nuclear option should an asteroid threaten Earth. However, the ex-lunar module pilot believes this decision was manipulated by political pressure, possibly indicating the asteroid threat was being used to speed up nuclear proliferation in space... - July 27th, 2008.

Universe Today - On 4 July 2005, NASA collided a projectile with comet Tempel 1. Should a nuclear warhead be used in the future to deflect asteroids? (NASA)

Universe Today - Bigger Risks from Smaller Asteroids? - Written by Fraser Cain - When astronomers first made the connection between asteroid impacts and extinction events on Earth, it was kind of frightening. There are hundreds of thousands of those things out there zipping around! But dedicated asteroid hunters have located many of the largest planet smashers, and new programs are in the works to find the rest. But now it seems that even the smaller asteroids could be more destructive than previously believed. - December 19th, 2007.

Universe Today - Canada to build World's First Asteroid-hunting Satellite - Written by Nicholos Wethington - Just yesterday (June 30th) was the 100-year anniversary of the Tunguska event, when a small piece of ice or rock exploded in the air near the Podkammenaya Tungus river in Siberia, flattening trees and scaring the heck out of people in the surrounding area. Thankfully, the blast didn't happen in a populated area and nobody was killed, but there are many more pieces of debris floating around out there in space. If we want to do something about an asteroid headed our way, or keep astronauts safe from space debris, knowing is half the battle. Thanks to a new microsatellite being built by the Canadian Space Agency, we will soon have a better map of the objects surrounding the Earth's orbit. - July 1st, 2008.

Universe Today - Canada to build World's First Asteroid-hunting Satellite

Universe Today - Comet, Cometary Dust Formed in Different Parts of Solar System - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Scientists studying the particles of comet dust brought to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft have uncovered a bit of a mystery. Research on the particles seem to indicate that while the comet formed in the icy fringes of the solar system, the dust appears to have been formed close to the sun and was bombarded by intense radiation before being flung out beyond Neptune and trapped in the comet. The finding opens the question of what was going on in the early life of the solar system to subject the dust to such intense radiation and hurl them hundreds of millions of miles from their birthplace. - January 7th, 2008.

Universe Today - Comet Dust is Very Similar to Asteroids - Written by Fraser Cain. - Just so it's clear in your mind: comets are dirty snowballs, asteroids are rocks. Got the difference? Wait... not so fast. Scientists studying the cometary dust picked up by NASA's Stardust spacecraft, and they're finding it's surprisingly asteroid like. - January 25th, 2008.

Universe Today - Comets.

Universe Today - Countdown to Asteroid Flyby - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Time critical is approaching for the Rosetta spacecraft and it's flyby of the asteroid 2867 Steins. Closest approach is expected on September 5, at 20:58 CEST, (Central European Summer Time), 2:58 pm EDT (US Eastern Daylight Time). To help the public follow the flyby, the Rosetta team now has a blog available, and a timeline has also been posted. At the time of closest approach, Rosetta is planned to be 800 km from the asteroid, passing by at a speed of 8.6 km/s relative to Steins. Both Rosetta and Steins will be illuminated by the Sun, providing an excellent opportunity for science observations. - September 2nd, 2008.

Universe Today - Artist impression of Rosetta and Asteroid 2867 Steins. Credit: ESA

Universe Today - Dawn is Gone - The big day arrived, and nothing could keep that spacecraft on the ground. At 7:34 am EDT NASA's Dawn spacecraft was lofted into space atop a Boeing Delta 2 rocket, beginning a 3 billion km (1.7 billion mile) journey to meet with two different large asteroids. - September 27th, 2007.

Universe Today - Dawn is on the Launch Pad - Despite delays and near cancellation, NASA's Dawn spacecraft is now on the launch pad, all ready to begin its mission to two of the largest asteroids in the Solar System. - September 12th, 2007.

Universe Today - Deep Impact Has a New Target - NASA announced this week that it has a new target: Comet Hartley 2. - Written by Fraser Cain - December 14th, 2007.

Universe Today - Deep Impact... the Second Visit - When Deep Impact smashed into Comet Tempel 1, it did its job well too well. Yes, it did carve out a crater on the surface of the comet, releasing a plume of debris visible from here on Earth. - September 27th, 2007.

Universe Today - "Foresight" Wins First Prize in Apophis Asteroid Tagging Competition - Written by Ian O'Neill - The Near Earth Asteroid (NEO) Apophis is expected to flyby the Earth in 2029. However, this flyby will be more of a "fly-very-close" as the lump of rock will miss the Earth by only a few thousand kilometers. This near-miss isn't worrying scientists too much, but should the asteroid tumble through a 400 meter gravitational "keyhole", there is concern that the asteroid could swing by and risk another collision in 2036. Although the odds are fairly slim, astronomers need better precision in calculating Apopis's orbital trajectory. - February 26th, 2008.

Universe Today - Help Move An Asteroid and Other Space-Related Opportunities - Written by Nancy Atkinson - If you've got some ideas about how to deflect an asteroid or comet heading towards Earth, there’s an opportunity out there to have your concept reviewed by some of the world's top astronomers and physicists. The only restriction is that you must be a student or a young professional under the age of 33. This announcement comes on the heels of notices of other opportunities for young people to get involved with space missions. The space sector must be listening to recent complaints that the younger generation feels a disconnect to space-related activities. At any rate, these are great opportunities. - April 9th, 2008.

Universe Today - How To Save the World From Asteroid Impact: Plastic Wrap - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Remember a competition we reported on back in April called "Move An Asteroid"? It was an international technical paper competition looking for unique and innovative concepts for how to deflect an asteroid or comet that might be on a collision course for Earth. The winners have been announced and first prize went to Australian PhD student Mary D'Souza who came up with quite a novel concept: wrap the asteroid with reflective sheeting. Such a coating may increase the asteroid’s reflectivity, enabling deflection by solar radiation pressure. - August 25th, 2008.

Universe Today - Learning How to Stop Dangerous Asteroids - You know the cliche: it's not a question of if an asteroid will strike the Earth, it's a question of when. Why wait for the asteroid impact, let's get out there and learn how to prevent an impact in the first place. - September 20th, 2007.

Universe Today - NASA Considers Manned Asteroid Mission - Written by Ian O'Neill - NASA is planning a mission to an NEO, but not because it's aimed at us. An asteroid named 2000SG344 (which threatened the Earth in the year 2000) is being considered as the destination for the first manned asteroid mission. - May 6th, 2008.

Universe Today - Oops, That Isn't an Asteroid, it's Rosetta - Written by Fraser Cain - Remember when I mentioned that ESA's Rosetta was inbound to make a flyby of the Earth on November 13th? Well, another group of astronomers were watching this "unknown" object, and thought that it was actually an asteroid that was going to be making a close flyby of our planet. - November 13th, 2007.

Universe Today - Phobos Up Close from Mars Express - Written by Nancy Atkinson - On July 23, Europe's Mars Express spacecraft flew only 93 kilometers from Mars' moon Phobos, and took the most detailed images ever of the small, irregular moon. Additionally, the spacecraft made other close flybys during the past few weeks, and creating a variety of images. The moon's grooved surface can be seen in the pictures quite clearly, but the origin of the grooves is not known. They could have been formed by ejecta thrown up from impacts on Mars, or if they could be caused by internal fissures result from the surface regolith, or soil, slipping into internal fissures. Whatever the cause, enjoy these new hi-resolution images of Phobos. - July 30th, 2008.

Universe Today - Real Hitchhiker's Guide to the Solar System on the Way - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Thinking about trekking across Titan or meandering around Mercury? Along with your backpack and towel, you'll also want to pack one of Robert Gaskell's maps. Gaskell, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, is working on creating real hitchhiking guides to the various bodies in our solar system. He's been equated to the final frontier what Lewis and Clark were to the American West - the guy producing the most accurate and detailed maps available. And thanks to current space missions sending back loads of data, Gaskell is beginning to work on creating precise maps of Mercury, the asteroid Eros, and eight moons of Saturn including Enceladus. Gaskell has created sophisticated software that combines hundreds of spacecraft images of varying resolution to create the maps. He's been developing the software for nearly 25 years, and if you want to map a planet, moon, or asteroid, he's the guy to ask. - August 21st, 2008.

Universe Today - Re-use, Recycle and Share Your Spacecraft to Find Exoplanets - Written by Nancy Atkinson - How do you get the most out of one spacecraft? Re-use, recycle and share. The spacecraft bus that brought the Deep Impact "impactor" to comet Tempel 1 in July of 2005 is still out in its heliocentric orbit and has been put to work double time where two new missions are sharing the same spacecraft. The combined operation is called EPOXI, which is a combo-acronym of the two separate missions. The Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI) of comets will observe comet 103P/Hartley 2 during a close flyby in October 2010. But of current interest is the other half of the dynamic duo, called the Extrasolar Planet Observation and Characterization (EPOCh) which is observing stars already known to have transiting giant planets. - June 2nd, 2008.

Universe Today - Rosetta Begins Tracking Asteroid Steins for Flyby - Written by Nicholos Wethington - Since waking up in early July from a brief hibernation, the Rosetta space probe has passed yet another milestone on the long journey to its rendezvous with the comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014: it has begun tracking the asteroid (2867) Steins. The spacecraft will perform a close flyby of the asteroid on September 5th, 2008, and will spend the next month taking images and science data. - Steins will remain a dot in the sky to the probe for quite a while, but these preliminary images will allow the spacecraft to get a better handle on the orbit of the asteroid, as well as its rotational period. Using the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) camera, it will image the asteroid twice a week until the 25th of August, and then will take daily images until the planned flyby on September 5th. Rosetta will pass within 800 km (500 miles) of the asteroid, imaging and taking data at the relatively slow speed of 8.6 km/second (5.3 miles/second). - August 4th, 2008.

Universe Today - Artist's impression of Rosetta doing an asteroid flyby (ESA).

Universe Today - Rosetta Flies By 'Diamond in the Sky' Steins - Written by Nancy Atkinson - ESA's Rosetta spacecraft successfully flew by the asteroid 2867 Steins, coming within 800 km (500 miles) and gathering images and data on the irregularly shaped rock in space. "Steins looks like a diamond in the sky," said Uwe Keller, Principal Investigator for the OSIRIS imaging system on board the spacecraft. Watch a movie of the flyby here. Visible in the images are several small craters on the asteroid, and two huge ones. While the wide-angle camera worked perfectly during the flyby, the narrower and higher resolution camera switched itself off and into safe mode a few minutes before closest approach, but switched back on after a few hours. "The software switched off automatically," said Gerhard Schwehm, Rosetta mission manager. "The camera has some software limits and we'll analyze why this happened later." - September 6th, 2008.

Universe Today - Mosaic of images from Rosetta's fly by. Credit: ESA.

Universe Today - Rosetta Flyby Shows the Earth's Night Side - Written by Fraser Cain - Right on schedule on November 13th, ESA's Rosetta spacecraft made its 2nd earthly flyby; testing its scientific instruments, and receiving a much needed gravitational assist. - November 14th, 2007.

Universe Today - Rosetta Gets an Amazing View as it Skims Past Mars - February 26th, 2007.

Universe Today - Rosetta Is Returning to Earth for Another Flyby - Mark your calendars for November 13th, 2007. That's the day ESA's Rosetta spacecraft will be making a close encounter with Earth on its way to Comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. - November 9th, 2007.

Universe Today - Rosetta Prepares for Meet-Up With Asteroid Next Week - Written by Nancy Atkinson - ESA's Rosetta spacecraft will make an historic encounter with asteroid (2867) Steins on September 5, 2008 at 20:58 CEST (Central European Summer Time), 2:58 pm EDT (US Eastern Daylight Time.) A few days ago, Rosetta conducted a successful trajectory correction maneuver using images from the spacecraft's cameras to calculate the asteroid's location, to optimize its trajectory for the fly-by. Rosetta will rendezvous with the asteroid while one its way to its primary mission, to visit comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. At its closest approach to the asteroid, the spacecraft will be just 800 km from Steins. - August 25th, 2008.

Universe Today - SOHO the Comet-Finder - And You Can Help - Written by Nancy Atkinson - On June 25th, the ESA/NASA SOHO spacecraft discovered its 1,500th comet, making it more successful than all other comet discoverers throughout history, combined. But wait a minute, SOHO is the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, designed to study solar physics. What’s it doing looking for comets? SOHO just happens to have a great vantage point to see comets as they approach the sun. Since its orbit is situated between the Sun and Earth, it has a unique view of the regions close to the sun that we can rarely see from Earth. But SOHO’s comet-finding success is just an added benefit to the extraordinary revelations this spacecraft has provided in its 13 years in space, observing the Sun and the near-Sun environment. "Catching the enormous total of comets has been an unplanned bonus," said Bernhard Fleck, ESA SOHO Project Scientist. - June 27th, 2008.

Universe Today - SOHO the Comet-Finder - And You Can Help

Universe Today - Tether to Keep Asteroid Explorers Grounded - Here on Earth, gravity keeps us firmly on solid ground. But when astronauts set foot on some of the more exotic objects in the Solar System, just walking is going to be a struggle. - September 26th, 2007.

Universe Today - WeekEnd SkyWatcher's Forecast: July 4 - 6, 2008 - Written by Tammy Plotner - Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! If you're enjoying a holiday weekend where you live, then start the fireworks off as we begin by remembering Deep Impact and journey towards a nearby star approaching the supernova phase. - July 4th, 2008.

WeekEnd SkyWatcher's Forecast: July 4 - 6, 2008 - Deep Impact and Asteroid Illustration - Source Universe Today

Universe Today - When Do Asteroids Turn Dangerous? - Written by Fraser Cain - One of the most spectacular sights in the night sky is a fireball; a rock from space impacts the atmosphere and blazes a trail that can last seconds or even minutes. These burn up harmlessly, but when do they turn dangerous? When do asteroids get large enough that they can actually get through the atmosphere and cause some destruction here on the ground? - January 21st, 2008.

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Implementation based on Space Horizons - http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/amrc/JANS/spacehorizons/ - Project for Information Technology Management for Business - Year 2.

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Rosetta Steins fly-by timeline. The Rosetta spacecraft control room is buzzing with anticipation as Rosetta closes in on asteroid 2867 Steins. The fly-by timeline includes a series of critical events, culminating with closest approach - expected at 20:58 CEST, 5 September 2008.Tue, 2 Sep 2008 12:30:00 +0100
Rosetta spacecraft meets asteroid Steins. ESA PR 35-2008. ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft will make a historic encounter with asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008. The doors of ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, will be open to the media as of 18:00 on 5 September to follow the fly-by events.Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:11:00 +0100
Universe Today - Get Ready for Deep Impact. July 4th is Independence Day In the United States, and Americans typically enjoy their holiday with a few fireworks. But up in space, 133 million kilometres away, there's going to be an even more spectacular show... Deep Impact. On July 4th, a washing machine-sized spacecraft is going to smash into Comet Tempel 1, carve out a crater, and eject tonnes of ice and rock into space. The flyby spacecraft will watch the collision from a safe distance, and send us the most spectacular pictures ever taken of a comet - and its fresh bruise. Dr. Lucy McFadden is on the science team for Deep Impact, and speaks to me from the University of Maryland.

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