Among the currently known Near Earth Objects (NEOs), roughly 1400 are classified as being potentially hazardous asteroids. The recent Chelyabinsk event has shown that these objects can pose a real threat to mankind. We illustrate that high precision asteroid astrometry plays a vital role in determining potential impact risks, selecting targets for deflection demonstration missions and evaluating mitigation mission success. After a brief introduction to the NEOShield project, an international effort initiated by the European Commission to investigate aspects of NEO mitigation in a comprehensive fashion, we discuss current astrometric performances, requirements and possible issues with NEO risk assessment and deflection demonstration missions.
@article{arxiv.1311.4067,
title = {High Precision Astrometry in Asteroid Mitigation - the NEOShield Perspective},
author = {Siegfried Eggl and Anatoliy Ivantsov and Daniel Hestroffer and Davide Perna and David Bancelin and William Thuillot},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1311.4067},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
accepted for publication in the SF2A 2013 proceedings