Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO): A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour Concept
Asteroid impacts potentially represent a substantial threat to humanity, but one that we can plan for and mitigate. To design an effective asteroid mitigation mission, however, it is important to have as detailed knowledge of the asteroid threat as possible. Our understanding of a newly discovered o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | The Planetary Science Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad7a6c |
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| author | Angela M. Stickle Andrew S. Rivkin Justin Atchison Jodi Berdis Rylie Bull Andy Cheng R. Terik Daly Carolyn M. Ernst Patrick King Meagan Leary Emma S. G. Rainey Ronald J. Vervack Jr. Nancy Chabot |
| author_facet | Angela M. Stickle Andrew S. Rivkin Justin Atchison Jodi Berdis Rylie Bull Andy Cheng R. Terik Daly Carolyn M. Ernst Patrick King Meagan Leary Emma S. G. Rainey Ronald J. Vervack Jr. Nancy Chabot |
| author_sort | Angela M. Stickle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Asteroid impacts potentially represent a substantial threat to humanity, but one that we can plan for and mitigate. To design an effective asteroid mitigation mission, however, it is important to have as detailed knowledge of the asteroid threat as possible. Our understanding of a newly discovered object will generally derive from our understanding of the near-Earth object population, and in cases where there is no time for a reconnaissance mission prior to deflection or disruption, we may need to lean heavily on any existing data of similar objects. The Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO) mission concept would fill key gaps in the characterization knowledge needed to plan an effective response to an asteroid threat. A tour targeting potentially hazardous asteroids and focused on reconnaissance objectives specifically relevant for planetary defense would also test instruments and technologies (e.g., autonomous navigation, high-rate gimbals) ahead of when they are actually required in response to a threat. Testing these capabilities is identified as a need in the National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan. The TACO tour concept is specifically designed to measure the most important asteroid properties for planetary defense, including mass, size/shape, surface and near-surface structure, presence of satellites, and composition. These measurements can be obtained using a nominal payload, including a narrow-angle camera, a thermal infrared imager, and deployed test masses for gravity science. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5c7e1a8a0f1e4cc48bf46e80b904ed42 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2632-3338 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Planetary Science Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-5c7e1a8a0f1e4cc48bf46e80b904ed422025-08-20T02:11:47ZengIOP PublishingThe Planetary Science Journal2632-33382024-01-0151023710.3847/PSJ/ad7a6cTour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO): A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour ConceptAngela M. Stickle0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7602-9120Andrew S. Rivkin1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9939-9976Justin Atchison2Jodi Berdis3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8572-0036Rylie Bull4Andy Cheng5R. Terik Daly6Carolyn M. Ernst7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9434-7886Patrick King8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7150-2196Meagan Leary9Emma S. G. Rainey10Ronald J. Vervack Jr.11Nancy Chabot12https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8628-3176Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA ; angela.stickle@jhuapl.eduAsteroid impacts potentially represent a substantial threat to humanity, but one that we can plan for and mitigate. To design an effective asteroid mitigation mission, however, it is important to have as detailed knowledge of the asteroid threat as possible. Our understanding of a newly discovered object will generally derive from our understanding of the near-Earth object population, and in cases where there is no time for a reconnaissance mission prior to deflection or disruption, we may need to lean heavily on any existing data of similar objects. The Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO) mission concept would fill key gaps in the characterization knowledge needed to plan an effective response to an asteroid threat. A tour targeting potentially hazardous asteroids and focused on reconnaissance objectives specifically relevant for planetary defense would also test instruments and technologies (e.g., autonomous navigation, high-rate gimbals) ahead of when they are actually required in response to a threat. Testing these capabilities is identified as a need in the National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan. The TACO tour concept is specifically designed to measure the most important asteroid properties for planetary defense, including mass, size/shape, surface and near-surface structure, presence of satellites, and composition. These measurements can be obtained using a nominal payload, including a narrow-angle camera, a thermal infrared imager, and deployed test masses for gravity science.https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad7a6cAsteroids |
| spellingShingle | Angela M. Stickle Andrew S. Rivkin Justin Atchison Jodi Berdis Rylie Bull Andy Cheng R. Terik Daly Carolyn M. Ernst Patrick King Meagan Leary Emma S. G. Rainey Ronald J. Vervack Jr. Nancy Chabot Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO): A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour Concept The Planetary Science Journal Asteroids |
| title | Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO): A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour Concept |
| title_full | Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO): A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour Concept |
| title_fullStr | Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO): A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour Concept |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO): A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour Concept |
| title_short | Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations (TACO): A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour Concept |
| title_sort | tour of asteroids for characterization observations taco a planetary defense asteroid tour concept |
| topic | Asteroids |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad7a6c |
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