Choosing NEO mission targets: current knowledge and future Earth-based observation opportunities

Kurzfassung

NEOShield is a consortium of 13 research institutes, universities and industrial partners from 6 countries. The aim of the project is to explore mitigation options in the event that a NEO is found to be on a potential collision course with Earth, and to pave the way for demonstration missions to test proposed mitigation techniques. Finding an accessible and appropriate target NEO for a demonstration mission is an important aspect of mission design. Targets for NEOShield and other potential missions require both a firm orbit and physical characterization. With > 900 NEOs discovered per year, it is important to assess the state of our knowledge of potential mission targets, and what future possibilities exist for refining that knowledge. We have created a web-based tool to to aid the provision of NEO mission targets, either for orbit improvement or for physical studies. It currently resides at http://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/~af/lowdv_neos/. Its primary purposes are to act as initial guidance for NEO mission target selection, and to aid future Earth-based observations and reconnaissance of those targets.