Near-Earth Object Reconnaissance and Source Region Analysis

近地天体侦察与源区分析

• 批准号: 0506716
• 负责人: Richard Binzel
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-08-01 至 2010-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0506716&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Near; Earth; Object; Reconnaissance; Source

AST 0506716BinzelWith this award, Dr. Richard Binzel and colleagues will achieve an increased understanding of the basic characteristics and the origins for the population of small bodies residing in orbits intersecting (or closely approaching) the orbit of the Earth. These near-Earth objects (NEOs) are important scientifically as they are the most immediate and representative source bodies for the delivery of meteorites to the Earth. Currently NEOs have mostly unknown origins from locations within the main asteroid belt and from extinct comets. A multi-year commitment of observing time (~2 nights per month over an initial period of two years) has been made by the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) at Mauna Kea, Hawaii for the purpose of enabling routine reconnaissance of newly discovered NEOs. NSF funding of this project will support the acquisition of these reconnaissance observations resulting in new spectral data for 80 to 100 NEOs per year, where all new data obtained will be reduced and publicly released in near-real time. In short order, this new reconnaissance program will eclipse the current number (~140) of NEOs having near-infrared spectral measurements. The specific science goals for these reconnaissance observations are: (1) To relate, as closely as possible, NEO spectral characteristics with major meteorite classes. (2) To quantitatively determine the relative consistency (or lack thereof) between the NEO population classes measured in space and the meteorite population classes determined by fall statistics on Earth. (3) To identify, as well as possible, specific main-belt source regions for specific classes of NEOs, and in turn, illuminate solar system origin links for specific meteorite types. (4) To characterize the properties of NEOs in comet-like orbits for the objective of illuminating asteroid-comet connections, thereby constraining the comet source fraction for NEOs. (5) To measure the spectral characteristics of NEOs residing in orbits reachable with propulsion requirements 7 km/sec, so that mission planning can be driven by scientific criteria (basic knowledge of the target properties) rather than by simple dynamical requirements. (6) Separately evaluate the compositional properties of the potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) subgroup, to illuminate any difference in the relative hazard posed by these most closely approaching objects compared with the broader NEO population. Dr. Binzel and his team bring extensive spectroscopic experience to this project with more than 10 refereed publications and ~140 NEO observations obtained within the first two years of the prior three year funding period, and a substantially longer track record in asteroid research.The long-term interests of society dictate that we achieve an understanding of the NEO population for assessing their impact hazard and potential for natural resource utilization in space. Linking astronomical measurements of NEOs to laboratory measurements of meteorites provides a broad connection across different scientific disciplines. Identifying source regions for NEOs linked to meteorite classes anchors a wealth of laboratory meteorite data on solar system formation conditions to distinct locations as important boundary conditions for forming planets in our own solar system and beyond. The proximity of NEOs make them the most easily accessible destinations for spacecraft exploration, making their reconnaissance critical for both American and international space exploration planning, including possible future human missions and future utilization of NEOs as space resources. Finally, the IRTF observations are to be conducted by remote observing from the MIT campus, allowing the integration of research and education for a substantial number of students who could not otherwise travel to the telescope.***

AST 0506716 Binzel凭借这一奖项，Richard Binzel博士及其同事将进一步了解居住在与地球轨道相交（或接近）的轨道上的小天体的基本特征和起源。这些近地天体在科学上很重要，因为它们是向地球运送陨石的最直接和最具代表性的源体。目前，近地天体大多来自小行星带和已灭绝的彗星，其来源尚不清楚。位于夏威夷莫纳克亚山的美国航天局红外望远镜设施承诺提供多年观测时间（最初两年每月约2个夜晚），以便能够对新发现的近地天体进行例行侦察。美国国家科学基金会对这一项目的资助将用于支持获取这些侦察观测数据，从而每年获得80至100个近地天体的新光谱数据，其中将对获得的所有新数据进行缩减，并近实时地公开发布。在短期内，这一新的侦察方案将使目前进行近红外光谱测量的近地天体数量（约140个）黯然失色。 这些侦察观测的具体科学目标是：（1）尽可能密切地将近地天体的光谱特征与主要陨石类别联系起来。(2)从数量上确定在空间测得的近地物体群类别与根据地球上的坠落统计数据确定的陨石群类别之间的相对一致性（或不一致性）。(3)尽可能查明特定类别近地天体的具体主带源区，进而阐明太阳系中特定陨石类型的起源联系。(4)描述类彗星轨道上近地物体的特性，目的是说明小行星-彗星之间的联系，从而限制近地物体的彗星源比例。(5)测量位于可达到7公里/秒推进要求的轨道上的近地物体的光谱特征，以便使命规划能够根据科学标准（关于目标特性的基本知识）而不是简单的动力学要求来进行。(6)分别评价具有潜在危险的小行星分组的组成特性，以说明这些最接近的天体与更广泛的近地天体群相比在相对危险性方面的任何差异。 Binzel博士和他的团队为该项目带来了丰富的光谱学经验，在前三年资助期的前两年内获得了10多篇参考文献和约140个近地天体观测结果，以及在小行星研究方面的长期记录。长期-社会的长期利益要求我们了解近地天体群，以便评估其撞击危险和自然灾害的可能性。空间资源利用。将近地物体的天文测量与陨石的实验室测量相联系，可将不同科学学科广泛联系起来。确定与陨石类别有关的近地物体的来源区域，将大量关于太阳系形成条件的实验室陨石数据固定在不同的地点，作为在我们自己的太阳系和更远的地方形成行星的重要边界条件。近地天体的邻近性使其成为航天器探索最容易到达的目的地，因此对近地天体的侦察对于美国和国际空间探索规划至关重要，包括未来可能的载人飞行任务和未来将近地天体作为空间资源加以利用。最后，IRTF的观测将通过麻省理工学院校园的远程观测进行，这使得研究和教育能够为大量无法前往望远镜的学生进行整合。