Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) Roadmap of Relevant Research for Planetary Defense V2.0

Kurzfassung

This document is intended to be a regularly updated "roadmap", or strategy, for international mitigation-related scientific and technical activities, to serve as a guide to future efforts. The aim of the work is to monitor worldwide activity in the field of the impact hazard and highlight areas in which further scientific research and technical development work is necessary. The areas covered by this work include space-mission-related research relevant to the deflection or destruction of a threatening NEO in the light of improving scientific understanding and technological capabilities, and efforts to facilitate accurate predictions of the possible consequences of a deflection attempt and/or an impact on the Earth. Efforts relating to NEO discovery and follow-up observations are not covered here as they fall under the remit of the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN). The tasks of this SMPAG work plan activity are: 1. Monitor relevant activities of space agencies and other organizations. 2. Identify technological and scientific activities relevant to space missions for planetary defense (e.g. for in-situ reconnaissance, deflection demonstration and emergency deflection missions) requiring emphasis in future work; such activities may include mission-related observational projects, e.g. for NEO physical characterization, and laboratory experiments and modeling/analysis work. 3. Develop/update an international strategy for future missions and mission-related research and development work in support of planetary defense. 4. Analyze and report on the effectiveness of international collaboration and funding of mitigation activities. Despite significant progress over the past decade or so much more needs to be accomplished before the international community can feel adequately protected from a potentially catastrophic asteroid impact. At the present time it is felt that more effort should be devoted in particular to the development and execution of test missions to enable deflection concepts to be tried out on real asteroids, remotely-sensed physical characterization of small NEOs (radar, infrared, etc.), in-situ characterization via space missions, and the development of new deflection techniques for small NEOs. A major problem, especially in Europe at present, is the short-term nature of research funding in the field of planetary defense, and the consequent lack of continuity in efforts to minimize the permanent threat to our civilization from impacts of asteroids and comets.