Hazards and Rewards of Near-Earth Asteroids

Near-Earth asteroids are a population of small bodies whose orbits around the Sun cross or come near our planet’s orbit.  They turn out to be unusual physical environments: rubble piles, with shapes and spins determined by effects like the pressure of the Sun’s radiation.  Near-Earth asteroids are also accessible targets for spacecraft missions.  And they represent a natural hazard we ignore at our peril, because some of these bodies have the potential to impact Earth.  Dr. Busch will review the near-Earth population, programs to track and characterize as many near-Earth asteroids as possible, and current efforts to address the danger of asteroid impacts.

Speaker: Michael Busch, SETI