Near-Earth Asteroid Search Programs

Abstract

The discovery of the potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid (NEA) component of the minor-planet population has been enhanced by better detecting and computing technology. A government mandate to quantify the terrestrial impact hazard and to detect 90% of all NEAs larger than 1 km can be realistically addressed. The characteristics, capabilities, and strategies of the major search programs illustrate the challenges and solutions toward meeting the Spaceguard goal. This chapter reviews the historical context of early asteroid detection and of the current and anticipated search programs. It describes the search systems and discusses challenges in maximizing the NEA detection rate.