MITM3 | Planetary defense is a team effort! Observations, modelling and space missions

MITM3

Planetary defense is a team effort! Observations, modelling and space missions

Co-organized by SB

Convener: Simone Ieva | Co-conveners: Fumi Yoshida, Tomoko Arai, Jules Bourdelle de Micas

Abstract submission

The study of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) is essential today, because as they probably have delivered water and prebiotic elements on early Earth, they can also pose a threat to human civilization. The overall majority of the 3000 new-NEA discoveries each year represent small asteroids (< 150 m). Nonetheless, those can still represent a serious menace toward our planet, causing damages on a regional scale. This is why planetary defense is a task concerning the whole of humanity.

This session explores the critical synergies between the three pillars of planetary defense:

- Observations: We’ll discuss the latest advancements in ground-based surveys and space-borne telescopes tasked with finding and tracking potentially hazardous objects and virtual impactors.

- Modelling: We will cover the computational physics of impact effects, orbital mechanics, and the structural analysis of rubble-pile versus monolithic asteroids.

- Space missions: We will review lessons learned from recent missions, such as DART/LICIACube, and look forward to the next generation of spacecrafts, such as Hera, OSIRIS-APEX, RAMSES and DESTINY+.