Near Earth Asteroids, Space Missions, and the Impact Hazard

The near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are a population of objects on orbit around the Sun that cross or come near the orbit of Earth; remnants of material from the early solar system that never accreted into planets. NEAs are accessible targets for space missions, but also pose a hazard due to potential future impacts onto Earth. Dr. Busch will review the near-Earth population and efforts to address the asteroid impact hazard. He will also discuss past, current, and future missions to near-Earth asteroids, including missions by NASA, ESA, JAXA, the Chinese National Space Agency, and potentially other groups.

Speaker: Michael Busch, SETI