Near-Infrared Reconnaissance of Near-Earth Objects

揭示小行星、彗星和陨石之间的基本关系是对我们自己的行星系统早期历史有重要新见解的第一步。对近地天体（NEO）群体的观测研究为研究这三类天体提供了独特的机会。社会的长期利益也要求我们了解近地天体的数量，以评估近地天体的影响危害和空间资源潜力。麻省理工学院的理查德·宾泽尔将指导一项观测计划，每年测量40-60颗近地天体的近红外光谱特性，大大提高对地球最近邻居的这类观测的数量和质量。近红外测量将在0.8-2.5Mm的波长范围内进行，使用位于夏威夷莫纳克亚山红外望远镜设施（IRTF）的最新最先进的SpeX光谱仪。该项目的主要目标是对近地天体的近红外光谱特征进行基本侦察。观测和数据集将在测量之间取得平衡，这些测量将推动最小和最微弱物体的最新技术极限，并提供足够详细矿物学分析的高信噪比光谱。＊＊＊

AST 0205863BinzelUnraveling the fundamental relationships between asteroids, comets, and meteorites is afirst step toward important new insights into the early history of our own planetary system. Observational investigation of the near-Earth object (NEO) population provides the unique opportunity for studying all three of these classes of objects. The long-term interests of society also dictate that we achieve an understanding of the NEO population for assessing NEOs for their impact hazard and space resource potential.Dr. Richard Binzel, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will direct an observational program to measure the near infrared spectral properties for 40-60 NEOs per year, substantially increasing the quantity and quality of these types of observations of Earth's nearest neighbors. The near-infrared measurements will be made over the wavelength range 0.8-2.5Mm using the new state-of-the-art SpeX spectrograph at the Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The principal goal of the project is basic reconnaissance of the near-infrared spectral characteristics of the NEO population. The observations and data set will be a balance between measurements that push to the state-of-the-art limits of the technology for the smallest and faintest objects and measurements that provide high signal-to-noise-ratio spectra sufficient for detailed mineralogical analysis. ***