- Image of asteroid Itokawa taken by Japan’s Hayabusa spacecraft in 2005. Credit: JAXA
NASA is holding next month an Exploration of Near Earth Objects Objectives Workshop, dubbed Explore NOW.
The by-invitation only workshop has been sparked by U.S. President Obama’s proposed sending of human missions beyond the Earth-Moon system and into deep space – including a human mission to a Near Earth Object (NEO), an asteroid, in the 2024-2026 timeframe.
To be held in Washington, D.C. August 10-11, the meeting will receive community input on NEO mission objectives.
Key experts and leaders from industry, academia, other government agencies, and the international community will take part, explains Douglas Cooke, NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
The workshop will be carried by NASA TV in a live video stream “for maximum public insight and engagement,” Cooke notes in a July 12 “Dear Colleague” letter.
Breakout sessions are designed to address several key questions regarding a human mission to a NEO, such as:
— What do we need to know before we can send a human to a NEO (i.e. characterization, knowledge gaps, and precursor investigations)?
— What technologies and/or capabilities are needed for a human mission to a NEO?
— What are the concepts of operations for a human mission to a NEO?
— For purposes of planetary defense, what do we need to know about NEOs and what capabilities are needed?
— What are the synergies with a human mission to the Moon and Mars?
— What policy considerations must be addressed? What are possible ways to engage the public?
The workshop will be carried by NASA TV in a live video stream “for maximum public insight and engagement,” Cooke notes in a July 12 “Dear Colleague” letter.
By Leonard David