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Near Earth Objects

I was long ago been bitten by a bug that made Near Earth orbiting objects a facination for me. I believe that nearby objects should be more than a menace to fear. These objects harbor precious resources that pave our way to deeper space.

My interest in impact craters goes back to when I was a child fascinated by the mighty dinosaurs. Even then, scientists imagined that a great impact event could have modified the environment of the Cretaceous Earth. Although Hollywood has gloried the possibility of a hazardous impact, the truth remains that Earth is as likely to be stuck by a NEO as it was 65 million years ago.

One of the earliest pioneers of in-depth searches for nearby objects was Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, a co-discoverer of comet SL9, and expert on planetary impacts. I would like to dedicate this page to Dr. Shoemaker, in honor of his many efforts to discover and track these objects so near to us. In March 2000, the NEAR spacecraft was renamed to NEAR Shoemaker.

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NASA announces Asteroid Redirect Mission
Move a 40-m asteroid into orbit around the moon for R & D of Space Technologies and Exploration Techniques
IMO, the best new space mission in years. Use this link to download a Request for Information if you have anything constructive to say by July 18.

Look Out! Check JPL's Close Approach page to see what's coming near us!

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LINKS TO NEO DETECTION PROGRAMS