1 of 13

Space News Update — February 18, 2014 —

Contents

In the News

Story 1:

Lunar rover wakes up after near-death experience

Story 2:

SLS launch rate requires repetitive cadence – Gerstenmaier

Story 3:

Voyager, the space triumph that nearly wasn't

Departments

The Night Sky

ISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV Highlights

Space Calendar

Food for Thought

Space Image of the Week

2 of 13

1.0 Lunar rover wakes up after near-death experience

China's Yutu moon rover woke up this week and radioed Earth after worries the mobile research platform would succumb to frigid temperatures during the two-week lunar night, but officials say the robot is still malfunctioning. "Yutu has come back to life," said Pei Zhaoyu, a spokesman with the Chinese lunar program, in a report by the government-sanctioned Xinhua news agency. Ground controllers confirmed they received signals from the rover Wednesday, two days after the rover's scheduled wakeup. The rover was struck by a mechanical anomaly before nightfall Jan. 25, forcing the craft to go into sleep mode without proper precautions against nighttime temperatures reaching as low as minus 180 degrees Celsius, or minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit.

State media did not describe details of the problem, and Xinhua reported Thursday engineers are still trying to identify the cause of the technical glitch, which left many observers concerned the roving explorer would not wake up. The rover, dubbed Yutu or "jade rabbit," is designed to hibernate during lunar nights, when the sun slips below the horizon for two weeks and temperatures plunge cold enough to damage sensitive electronic circuits and avionics systems inside the spacecraft. During hibernation, Yutu is unable to charge its batteries or communicate with Earth. Chinese designers installed small radioisotope heaters fueled by plutonium to keep critical components warm at night. Before each sunset, Yutu is supposed to retract its camera mast and fold two solar panels over the rover's body. Unconfirmed reports by Chinese space analysts indicate something went wrong with one of the solar panels as Yutu prepared for night. "Now that it is still alive, the rover stands a chance of being saved," Pei said in a report by Xinhua.

Yutu was designed to operate on the moon for three months. The rover touched down Dec. 14 and drove off its four-legged landing platform to begin exploring the bleak, cratered terrain in the moon's Mare Imbrium region, one of the dark spots on the moon as seen from Earth. The rover has logged about 100 meters, more than 300 feet, of driving since the mid-December landing. Controllers spent the initial days of the mission using the lander and rover to take pictures of each other. Yutu used a mechanical scoop to sample the lunar soil earlier this month, according to state media, and it studied the moon's underground structure with a ground-penetrating radar. The robot used X-ray and near-infrared spectrometers to measure the composition of lunar rocks. Engineers also established a radio communications link between the four-foot-tall rover and its stationary landing platform. Chinese media have reported no problems with the four-legged lander other than the failure of its main camera, which was only designed to function for a few weeks. The Chang'e 3 lander has its own suite of instruments including an ultraviolet telescope to observe Earth's plasmasphere and conduct the first long-term astronomical observations from the lunar surface. Yutu is part of China's third lunar mission. Named Chang'e 3, the project achieved the first soft landing on the moon since 1976 and followed two Chinese lunar orbiters launched in 2007 and 2010.

See the landing site here: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/china/change3/140214pans/

Source: Space Flight Now Return to Contents

3 of 13

2. SLS launch rate requires repetitive cadence – Gerstenmaier

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) will launch at least once per year, as a “necessary” requirement, according to Bill Gerstenmaier. NASA’s Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations recently addressed concerns over the near term schedule for the monster rocket, which will not launch humans until the next decade. SLS: The new Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) is enjoying a surprisingly smooth ride through its development cycle, ultimately remaining on track for a 2017 debut. A delay of six months to the first mission – known as Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1) – was feared ahead of the latest milestone review, known as Key Decision Point C (KDP-C), related to problems with the European contribution to the Orion Service Module.

However, the milestone was passed, with the launch date unaffected. EM-1 will involve SLS debuting with the second Orion to venture into space, conducting an uncrewed mission 70,000 km past the Moon on a 25 day flight. This mission was changed from an Apollo 8 style mission around the Moon, in order to gain experience ahead of the Exploration Mission -2 (EM-2) mission. EM-2, launching in the 2021 time frame, will be the first crewed mission for Orion, tasked with rendezvousing with a captured asteroid in order to conduct EVAs and return samples back to Earth. This initial leg of the exploration roadmap is aimed at fulfilling President Obama’s goal of an asteroid mission before the middle of the next decade. This plan has received criticism, ranging from a lack of public inspiration to concerns over the large gap in flight operations between EM-1 in 2017 and EM-2 – the latter of which has no guarantee of launching in 2021. Recently published minutes from the latest NASA Advisory Council (NAC) Human Exploration and Operations Committee (HEOC) once again portrayed negativity towards the plan. Mr. Ken Bowersox – HEOC chair and Mr. Bohdan Bejmuk – co chair – both grilled Mr. Gerstenmaier at the meeting, citing concerns about the lengthy path towards crewed flights on Orion. Questions included why the first flight – EM-1 – was uncrewed, through to the overall flight rate of the multi-billion dollar SLS. Following Mr. Gerstenmaier confirmation that the pacing item for the first crewed mission was the development of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) and related budget constraints for Orion, Mr. Bowersox claimed it “will not excite people” to launch an uncrewed EM-1 mission in order to save funds in the short term human rating drive.

Notably, the 2017 launch date for SLS is heavily associated with the 2010 Authorization Act, which requested SLS and Orion to be ready to launch in that time frame as a back up to the Commercial Crew Program (CCP). This back up plan was to be implemented in the event the CCP suffered a major issue, an issue that negated the future possibility of removing the burden of having to pay top dollar on Soyuz seats, a current post-Shuttle requirement to allow US astronauts to continue a permanent presence on the International Space Station (ISS). This plan has been blighted with irony, given the CCP has been delayed by over two years, largely due to shortfalls in funding, arguably in protection of SLS and Orion budget lines, in turn resulting in hundreds of millions of additional NASA dollars being sent to Russia for extra Soyuz seats, all while SLS and Orion have never been in a position to launch a crew on the 2017 flight. Design Reference Mission (DRM) documentation showed the SLS Block 1 launching an Orion to the ISS. However, because the HLV was designed for Beyond Earth Orbit (BEO) missions, it would be so overpowered, its payload would have include a large amount of ballast. This DRM is called “LEO_Util_1A_C11A1 – ISS Back Up Crew Delivery Per Congressional Mandate – NASA is to provide backup capability to the commercial ISS crew delivery and return option,” per the latest Exploration Systems Development (ESD) Concept of Operations (ConOps) document, available in L2.

Although the ISS back up mission has effectively been removed from the overall plan, the fallout on the schedule has effectively tasked SLS with launching much ahead of its optimum launch date. A potential SLS

4 of 13

cargo mission in 2019 has been mentioned a number of times in internal conversations. However, that is classed as doubtful, based on documentation that points to the availability of the specific Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) units, with only two on order – one for EM-1 and another for EM-2, both in the time frames of the two missions. Once SLS has completed its political role with EM-1 and EM-2, a mix of cargo and crewed missions are expected, launching at least once a year. SLS is currently projected to have the capability of launching once every six months. Although payloads are yet to be announced, Mr. Gerstenmaier confirmed the flight rate has to be once a year as a minimum requirement, in response to a question from Bejmuk – who had assumed SLS would only launch once every two or three years. Mr. Gerstenmaier noted that ”repetitive cadence is necessary” as the reason SLS will launch every year. Although no payloads past the EM-2 flight have been revealed, managers have been quick to both promote SLS’ unique capability to potential military and commercial customers, and to the science community. A cargo version of the Block 1A/B SLS – with its 105mT capability – is often mentioned as the workhorse that will be available for hire throughout the 2020s. International cooperation is also a major factor, with Mr. Gerstenmaier adding Design Reference Missions (DRMs) remain under evaluation, with a focus on discussing potential missions with international partners. The NASA AA added the Agency will discuss the roadmap with partners when they meet in Japan in 2015. Given NASA’s budget simply does not allow for it to go on a payload spending spree, international interest in utilizing SLS is likely to be key to the health of its manifest in the 2020s.

NASA Space Flight Now Return to Contents

5 of 13

3. Voyager, the space triumph that nearly wasn't

The twin Voyager spacecrafts, flying now for 36 years and billions of miles from Earth, almost never took off. Voyager 1 spacecraft is the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space. Even if defined only by distance, the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory twin Voyagers are America's greatest space adventure. They've been flying successfully for more than 36 years and are billions of miles from home. What isn't widely known is that they almost never made it out there. The first proposed mission in the late 1960s was for four spacecraft to take advantage of a rare alignment of the four outer planets of the solar system; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune would all be on the same side of the sun.

However, in December 1971, NASA decided it couldn't afford the $1-billion price tag for a 12-year "grand tour" mission with four spacecraft. This alignment happens only every 176 years, and the next launch opportunity was just five years away, in 1977. To avoid missing the opportunity, JPL engineers quickly devised a plan to send two simpler spacecraft on four-year flights to Jupiter and Saturn, with the hope of continuing on to Uranus and Neptune. But exploring space is hard. If something breaks, you can't send out a mechanic. Because of the hours it takes radio signals to travel to the spacecraft, ground controllers can't fix anything in real time. So JPL engineers had to build the smartest spacecraft yet designed, using "fault protection" programs in their small computers to spot any problems and take action. The autonomy of the two spacecraft was essential to their capability and longevity, but that also made it difficult during the first few months to learn how to fly them.

Voyager 1 was on a shorter, faster trajectory, so Voyager 2 was launched first, on Aug. 20, 1977. Shortly after launch, Voyager 2's fault protection was put to the test. The spacecraft was tumbling and in a state of mechanical vertigo. The computer began exchanging primary systems for backups, following its fault-protection sequences. Although some engineers wanted to reboot the computer, a key engineer realized that a reset would be fatal because Voyager 2's sun sensor had to locate and lock onto the sun to orient itself. The engineers nervously watched the data as the spacecraft righted itself and stabilized. As someone put it, Voyager 2 was "smarter than we were." Two weeks later, Voyager 1 had its own launch adventure but rode it out in blissful ignorance. The first-stage rocket underperformed, requiring a longer burn by the second stage to achieve the speed needed to reach Jupiter at the prescribed time. It did the job with only 3 1/2 seconds of fuel left, about the time it takes to read this paragraph. If it had run out of fuel, it would have been late for its rendezvous with Jupiter.

Wondrous encounters with Jupiter ensued in 1979. Thanks to the spacecrafts' cameras, the Voyagers let everyone marvel at Jupiter's orange moon Io as it spouted eight volcanic plumes, revealing it as the most geologically active object in the solar system. Encounters with Saturn in 1980 and 1981 entranced us with images of its majestic rings and many moons. Scientists knew that its planet-sized moon Titan had an atmosphere, but they didn't know it was mainly nitrogen and much denser than Earth's. In 1981, the continuation of the Voyager journey beyond Saturn, as well as NASA's other planetary programs, were in dire danger of cancellation. But, aware of strong public interest buoyed by the illuminating images and unexpected discoveries, the White House agreed to continue the planetary program and Voyagers' mission to Uranus. Five years later, Voyager 2 flew past Uranus. Finally, in 1989, Voyager 2 reached Neptune, finding its winds among the fastest and strongest even though it's the farthest from the heat of the sun. Before Voyager 1's cameras were turned off (to save power and memory), they looked back toward the sun, taking a photograph of tiny Earth in the black distance, the famed "pale blue dot."

6 of 13

Without the Voyager mission, we wouldn't have been able to see the diversity and splendor of our solar system up close, to answer that haunting, persistent question, "What is it like out there?" The adventure that almost didn't happen will continue as Voyager 2 joins Voyager 1 in exploring the space between the stars, until about 2025, when power runs out. They will journey on, carrying golden records, which are time capsules of Earth where their great adventure began.

Edward C. Stone, a former director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is the project scientist of NASA's Voyager mission and a professor of physics of Caltech.

Los Angeles Times Op Ed Return to Contents

7 of 13

The Night Sky

Tuesday, February 18 By 11 p.m. the waning gibbous Moon is up in the east. Lower left of it shines Spica, and left of Spica, brighter Mars. Very far off to their left, the spring star Arcturus is already climbing the sky. See the scene at left for how the Moon, Mars and Spica are arranged by dawn on Wednesday morning. Wednesday, February 19 Go out after 11 tonight, and low in the east-southeast, where the Moon has just risen or is about to rise, you'll find bright, fiery Mars with Spica to its right. Thursday, February 20 As dawn breaks Friday morning the 21st, spot the waning Moon in the south with Saturn to its left. Off to their right are Mars and Spica (out of the frame above). Friday, February 21 Capella passes closest to straight overhead (for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes) around 7 p.m. now, depending on how far east or west you are in your time zone. At the time this happens, Rigel in Orion's leading foot marks due south. Saturday, February 22 This year's big, bright "Winter Diamond" — Jupiter at its top, Sirius at the bottom, and Procyon and Betelgeuse forming its two side corners — stands upright in the south around 8 or 9 p.m. now.

Source: Sky 2& Telescope Return to Contents

8 of 13

ISS Sighting Opportunities For Denver:

Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Tue Feb 18, 7:18 PM 1 min 15° 10 above NNW 15 above N

Wed Feb 19, 6:30 PM 3 min 14° 10 above NNW 10 above NE

Wed Feb 19, 8:06 PM < 1 min 12° 10 above NW 12 above NW

Thu Feb 20, 7:17 PM 2 min 28° 10 above NW 28 above N

Fri Feb 21, 6:28 PM 4 min 21° 11 above NNW 14 above ENE

Fri Feb 21, 8:05 PM < 1 min 18° 15 above WNW 18 above WNW

Sat Feb 22, 7:15 PM 3 min 78° 10 above NW 77 above ENE

Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time)

February 18, Tuesday

6 a.m. - Coverage of the Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Departure from the ISS (Cygnus release scheduled at 6:40

a.m. EST) - JSC (All Channels)

February 19, Wednesday

1:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 38 In-Flight Interview with the ABC Digital On-Line Network - JSC (All Channels)

February 20, Thursday

1:10 p.m. - ISS Expedition 38 In-Flight Event for “Destination Station” at Cal State Los Angeles - JSC (All

Channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website. Return to Contents

9 of 13

Space Calendar

Feb 18 - [Feb 09] Comet C/2014 C2 (STEREO) Perihelion (0.512 AU) Feb 18 - Comet P/2013 TL117 (Lemmon) Perihelion (1.118 AU) Feb 18 - Comet 58P/Jackson-Neujmin At Opposition (4.253 AU) Feb 18 - Asteroid 2000 EM26 Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU) Feb 19 - Comet P/2012 WA34 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.822 AU) Feb 19 - Comet 242P/Spahr Closest Approach To Earth (3.970 AU)

Feb 19 - [Feb 12] Asteroid 2014 CE13 Near-Earth Flyby (0.089 AU)

Feb 19 - [Feb 11] Asteroid 3031 Houston Closest Approach To Earth (1.123 AU) Feb 19 - Asteroid 274301 Wikipedia Closest Approach To Earth (1.744 AU) Feb 20 -[Feb 15] GPS 2F-5 Delta 4M Launch Feb 20 - Comet C/2013 V3 (Nevski) At Opposition (1.210 AU) Feb 20 - Comet C/2012 X2 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (4.464 AU) Feb 20 - Comet C/2013 F2 (Catalina) At Opposition (5.698 AU) Feb 20 - Asteroid 2014 BR57 Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU) Feb 20 - Asteroid 6524 Baalke Closest Approach To Earth (1.443 AU)

Feb 20 - [Feb 11] Asteroid 827 Wolfiana Closest Approach To Earth (1.560 AU) Feb 20 - Asteroid 2919 Dali Closest Approach To Earth (2.451 AU) Feb 20 - 20th Anniversary (1994), Clementine, Moon Orbit Insertion Feb 21 - Moon Occults Saturn Feb 21 - Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) Perihelion (1.599 AU) Feb 21 - Comet 168P/Hergenrother At Opposition (3.262 AU) Feb 21 - Comet C/2013 B2 (Catalina) Closest Approach To Earth (3.338 AU) Feb 21 - Comet P/2011 R3 (Novichonok-Gerke) At Opposition (3.630) Feb 21 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC 5482-00940-1 (9.4 Magnitude Star)

Feb 21 - [Feb 13] Asteroid 1995 CR Near-Earth Flyby (0.020 AU) Feb 21 - Asteroid 2012 DY43 Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU) Feb 21 - Asteroid 1278 Kenya Closest Approach To Earth (2.067 AU) Feb 21 - Meeting: The Life of Solar Prominences, London, United Kingdom Feb 22 - Asteroid 4464 Vulcano Closest Approach To Earth (1.148 AU) Feb 22 - Asteroid 2874 Jim Young Closest Approach To Earth (1.356 AU) Feb 22 - Asteroid 35352 Texas Closest Approach To Earth (1.846 AU) Feb 22 - Asteroid 6456 Golombek Closest Approach To Earth (1.909 AU) Feb 22 - Asteroid 10792 Ecuador Closest Approach To Earth (2.362 AU)

Source: JPL Space Calendar Return to Contents

10 of 13

Food for Though

Responding to Potential Asteroid Redirect Mission Targets

One year ago, on Feb. 15, 2013, the world was witness to the dangers presented by near-Earth Objects (NEOs) when a relatively small asteroid entered Earth's atmosphere, exploding over Chelyabinsk, Russia, and releasing more energy than a large atomic bomb. Tracking near-Earth asteroids has been a significant endeavor for NASA and the broader astronomical community, which has discovered 10,713 known near-Earth objects to date. NASA is now pursuing new partnerships and collaborations in an Asteroid Grand Challenge to accelerate NASA's existing planetary defense work, which will help find all asteroid threats to human population and know what to do about them. In parallel, NASA is developing an Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) -- a first-ever mission to identify, capture and redirect an asteroid to a safe orbit of Earth's moon for future exploration by astronauts in the 2020s. ARM will use capabilities in development, including the new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and high-power Solar Electric Propulsion. All are critical components of deep-space exploration and essential to meet NASA's goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s. The mission represents an unprecedented technological feat, raising the bar for human exploration and discovery, while helping protect our home planet and bringing us closer to a human mission to one of these intriguing objects. NASA is assessing two concepts to robotically capture and redirect an asteroid mass into a stable orbit around the moon. In the first proposed concept, NASA would capture and redirect an entire very small asteroid. In the alternative concept, NASA would retrieve a large, boulder-like mass from a larger asteroid and return it to this same lunar orbit. In both cases, astronauts aboard an Orion spacecraft would then study the redirected asteroid mass in the vicinity of the moon and bring back samples.

Very few known near-Earth objects are ARM candidates. Most known asteroids are too big to be fully captured and have orbits unsuitable for a spacecraft to redirect them into orbit around the moon. Some are so distant when discovered that their size and makeup are difficult for even our most powerful telescopes to discern. Still others could be potential targets, but go from newly discovered to out of range of our telescopes so quickly there is not enough time to observe them adequately. For the small asteroids that do closely approach Earth, NASA's Near-Earth Object Program has developed a rapid response system whose chief goal is to mobilize NEO-observing assets when an asteroid first appears that could qualify as a potential candidate for the ARM

11 of 13

mission. "There are other elements involved, but if size were the only factor, we'd be looking for an asteroid smaller than about 40 feet (12 meters) across," said Paul Chodas, a senior scientist in the Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "There are hundreds of millions of objects out there in this size range, but they are small and don't reflect a lot of sunlight, so they can be hard to spot. The best time to discover them is when they are brightest, when they are close to Earth."

Asteroids are discovered by small, dedicated teams of astronomers using optical telescopes that repeatedly scan the sky looking for star-like objects, which change location in the sky slightly over the course of an hour or so. Asteroid surveys detect hundreds of such moving objects in a single night, but only a fraction of these will turn out to be new discoveries. The coordinates of detected moving objects are passed along to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., which either identifies each as a previously known object or assigns it a new designation. The observations are collated and then electronically published, along with an estimate of the object's orbit and intrinsic brightness. Automatic systems at NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL take the Minor Planet Center data, compute refined orbit and brightness estimates, and update its online small-body database. A new screening process for the asteroid redirect mission has been set up which regularly checks the small-body database, looking for potential new candidates for the ARM mission. "If an asteroid looks as if it could meet the criteria of size and orbit, our automated system sends us an email with the subject "'New ARM Candidate,'" said Chodas. "When that happens, and it has happened several dozen times since we implemented the system in March of 2013, I know we'll have a busy day."

Remember, things have to happen quickly because these small NEOs are only visible to even the most powerful of telescopes for a short period of a few days during their flyby of Earth. After receiving such an email, Chodas contacts the scientists coordinating radar observations at NASA's Deep Space Network station at Goldstone, Calif., and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, to check on their availability. These are massive radar telescopes (the width of the Goldstone dish is 230 feet, or 70 meters, and the Arecibo dish is a whopping 1,000 feet, or 305 meters, wide). They have the capability of bouncing powerful microwaves off nearby asteroids, providing size and rotation information, and at times, even generating detailed images of an asteroid's surface. If these radar telescopes can see an asteroid and track it, definitive data on its orbit and size will quickly follow. Chodas may also contact selected optical observatories run by professionals or sophisticated amateurs, who may be able to quickly turn their telescopes to observe the small space rock. "The optical telescopes play an important role, as their observations can be used to improve our prediction of the orbital path, as well as provide data that helps us establish the rotation rate of an asteroid," said Chodas. Chodas also reaches out to the NASA-funded Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. If the IRTF can detect the space rock, it can provide a wealth of detailed data on spectral type, reflectivity and expected composition. "After one of these alerts, there is a lot of calling and emailing going on in the beginning," said Chodas. "Then, we just simply have to wait to see what this worldwide network of assets can do to characterize the physical attributes of the potential ARM target."

Scientists estimate that several dozen asteroids in the 20-to-40-foot (6-to-12-meter) size range fly by Earth at a distance even closer than the moon every year. But only a fraction of these are actually detected, and even fewer are in orbits that are good candidates for ARM. Roughly half will pass Earth on the daytime side and are impossible to find in the bright glare of sunlight. Even so, current asteroid surveys are finding tens of asteroids in this size range every year, and new technology is coming online to make detection of these objects even more likely. "The NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey, which has made the majority of NEO discoveries since its inception in 2004, is getting an upgrade," said Lindley Johnson, program executive for the Near-Earth Objects Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We also will have new telescopes with an upgraded detection capability, like PanSTARRS 2 and ATLAS, coming online soon, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's new Space Surveillance Telescope will give us a hand as well." As part of its effort to find asteroids hazardous to Earth and destinations for future robotic and human exploration, NASA's NEO program will continue to search for even better potential targets for ARM. Also, NASA's WISE spacecraft has been reactivated and rechristened NEOWISE (link to: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-006) and could be used to characterize potential ARM targets.

12 of 13

In an attempt to leave no space-stone unturned, the agency is also combining public-private partnerships, crowdsourcing and incentive prizes to enhance existing efforts. Through its Asteroid Grand Challenge, NASA is reaching out to any and all who may have the next pioneering idea in asteroid research. Of course, all this looking up and out and into the dim recesses of the solar system requires funding. NASA is already spending $20 million per year in the search for potentially hazardous asteroids through the Near Earth Object Observation Program. NASA's FY 14 budget included $105 million to plan for the capture and redirection of an asteroid, increase innovative partnerships and approaches to help us amplify efforts to identify and track and characterize asteroids, and conduct studies for mitigating potential threats. We are learning a lot more about space rocks than we ever had before and along with that the rate of discoveries will continue to climb. And of those, only a portion of the new asteroids discovered is destined to have the right stuff for an asteroid retrieval mission -- the right size and the right orbit to satisfy mission requirements for the asteroid redirect mission. The Near-Earth Object Program Office reports that, with current asteroid surveys already in place, about two potential candidates suitable for the asteroid redirect mission are discovered every year. The rate of discovery is projected to at least double as new imaging assets come online. Does Chodas think there is a perfect target asteroid out there for an asteroid redirect mission? "Absolutely. There are a lot of asteroids out there, and there are a lot of dedicated people down here, looking for them," said Chodas. "You put the two together and it's only a matter of time before we find some space rocks that fit our needs."

NASA's Near-Earth Object Program at NASA Headquarters, Washington, manages and funds the search, study and monitoring of asteroids and comets whose orbits periodically bring them close to Earth. JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA JPL Return to Contents

13 of 13

Space Image of the Week

IC 1805: Light from the Heart

Image Credit & Copyright: César Blanco González

Explanation: Sprawling across almost 200 light-years, emission nebula IC 1805 is a mix of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds about 7,500 light-years away in the Perseus spiral arm of our galaxy. Stars were born in this region whose nickname, the Heart Nebula, derives from its Valentine's-Day-appropriate shape. The clouds themselves are shaped by stellar winds and radiation from massive hot stars in the nebula's newborn star cluster Melotte 15 about 1.5 million years young. This deep telescopic image maps the pervasive light of narrow emission lines from atoms in the nebula to a color palette made popular in Hubble images of star forming regions. The field of view spans about two degrees on the sky or four times the diameter of a full moon. The cosmic heart is found in the constellation of Cassiopeia, the boastful mythical Queen of Aethiopia.

Source: NASA APOD Return to Contents