Workshop on Scientific Requirements for Mitigation of Hazardous Comets and Asteroids

September 3-September 7, 2002

Hyatt in Arlington, Virginia

Workshop Agenda

A geophysical understanding of small Near-Earth Objects is required before we can meaningfully pursue technologies for impact mitigation via diversion, disruption, or resource exploitation. The goal of this workshop is to lay out the scientific and technological requirements for spacecraft and groundbased reconnaissance, for laboratory research and theoretical modeling, and for in situ exploration of near-Earth comets and asteroids. It will conclude with a recommended timeline for satisfying those requirements by 2030.

Registration desk will be open Monday evening from 7pm to 10pm, but no events are planned.

Talks are either 20, 25, or 30 minutes (as noted), plus 10 or 15 minutes for questions and discussion.

TUESDAY 9/3

 8:00  Registration; coffee and donuts
 9:00

 T. Morgan (NASA) and E. Asphaug (UCSC)

Welcome (20+10)

 9:30

 Bill Bottke (SwRI)

Orbits, sizes and provenances of near-Earth asteroids and comets (30+15)

 10:15

 Alan Harris (DLR)

Scientific requirements for understanding the NEO population (20+10)

 10:45

 Clark Chapman (SwRI)

What we know and don't know about asteroid surfaces (30+15)

 11:30  Press Event
 12:00  POSTER SESSSION with tea and lemonade; convene for lunch
 12:30

 LUNCH

Local lunch venues are plentiful and convenient

 1:30  POSTER SESSION with good coffee
 2:00

 Erik Asphaug (UCSC)

Sizes and Structures of Comets and Asteroids: What is Worth Mitigating and How? (30+15)

 2:45

 Ralph Kahle (Dresden Univ. Technology)

The scientific requirements of future mitigation technology (30+15)

 3:30

 Alan Harris (JPL)

Scientific requirements for enabling future technologies (20+10)

 4:00  POSTER SESSION with beer and wine
 5:00

 Jay Melosh (U. Arizona)

A geophysical assessment of NEO mitigation requirements (30+15)

WEDNESDAY 9/4

 8:30  Coffee and donuts
 9:00

 Dan Scheeres (U. Michigan)

Fancy maneuvers: hopping, hovering and tethering (30+15)

 9:45

 Derek Sears (U. Arkansas)

Mission operations in low gravity regolith and dust (30+15)

 10:30

 Richard Dissly (Ball Aerospace)

Exploratory mission architectures, from small-scale to large (30+15)

 11:15  Bruce Conway (U. Illinois)Optimizing the orbital interception and deflection of hazardous NEOs (30+15)
 12:00  POSTER SESSION with tea and lemonade; convene for lunch
 12:30  LUNCH
 1:30  POSTER SESSION with good coffee
 2:00

 Rick Binzel (MIT)

Advances in ground-based characterization of NEOs (30+15)

 2:45

 Steve Ostro (JPL)

Radar reconnaissance of potentially hazardous asteroids and comets (30+15)

 3:30

 Wayne van Citters (NSF)

NSF Leadership Presentation (20+10)

 4:00  POSTER SESSION with beer and wine
 5:00

 Dave Morrison (NASA Ames), Clark Chapman (SwRI), and Duncan Steel (U. Salford)

Workshop Panel: Science and public perception: our responsibilities "back home". This panel is also responsible for the Press Release

 6:30

 Banquet(Approximately $40+tax+gratuity/person)

Banquet is buffet style and will have 3 or 4 choices for the main dish (including a vegetarian dish). Please inform Linda Diamond linda@astro.umd.edu by Monday August 26 whether you (and your guests) are planning to attend the banquet.

THURSDAY 9/5

 8:30  Coffee and donuts
 9:00

 Wlodek Kofman (LPG Grenoble)

Peering inside of NEOs with microwave tomography (30+15)

 9:45

 Pete Worden (USAF)

Military perspectives on asteroid impact mitigation (30+15)

10:30

 Ed Weiler and Colleen Hartman (NASA Headquarters)

NASA Leadership presentation (20+10)

11:00

 Hajime Yano (ISAS)

Techniques for the structural investigation of aggregate bodies (30+15)

Summary of Muses-C (15)

12:00  POSTER SESSION with tea and lemonade; convene for lunch
12:30  LUNCH
1:30

 Andrew Ball (Open Univ., UK)

Penetrator and lander technology (25+15)

2:10

 James Walker and Walter Huebner (SwRI)

Seismic investigations of asteroid and comet interiors (25+15)

2:50

 Keith Holsapple (U. Washington)

Geology of asteroids: implication of spin states (25+15)

3:30

 Mario Di Martino (Obs. Torino)

Thermophysical properties of comets and asteroids inferred from fireball observations (20+10)

4:00  POSTER SESSION with beer and wine
5:00

 Mike Belton (BSEI)

Elements of a national program to mitigate impacts (30+15)

FRIDAY 9/6

 8:30  Donuts and Coffee
 9:00

 Steve Chesley (JPL)

Impact probabilities and lead times (30+15)

 9:45

 Tom Jones (NASA Astronaut, Ret.) and Dan Durda (SWRI)

Human exploration of near-Earth objects (30+15)

 10:30

 Don Yeomans (JPL), Mike Belton (BSEI), Tom Morgan (NASA)

Workshop Panel: The next steps: Development of a roadmap towards a practical and reliable impact mitigation system. This panel summary will be the Workshop Recommendation including the 30 year road map.

 12:00  Final Business / Press Event
 1:00  Adjourn