Planetary Defense Coordination Office

Last updated

Planetary Defense Coordination Office
Planetary Defense Coordination Office seal.png
Agency overview
FormedJanuary 2016 (2016-01)
JurisdictionUnited States
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
MottoHic Servare Diem (Latin)
"Here to Save the Day" [1]
Agency executive
  • Lindley Johnson [2] , Planetary Defense Officer
Parent departmentScience Mission Directorate, Planetary Science Division
Parent agency NASA
Website nasa.gov/planetarydefense

The Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) is a planetary defense organization established in January 2016 within NASA's Planetary Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate. [3]

Contents

Its mission is to look for and catalogue near-Earth objects such as comets and asteroids and potentially hazardous objects that could impact Earth and to help the U.S. government prepare for a potential impact event (and coordinate efforts to mitigate and deflect potential threats if one is detected). [4]

History

In 2005, the U.S. Congress passed the NASA Authorization Act, which, in part, tasked NASA with finding and cataloguing at least 90% of all near-Earth objects that are 140 meters or larger by 2020. [5] [6] However, that goal was clearly not being met by NASA's Near Earth Object Observations Program, which a 2014 report by the NASA Office of Inspector General pointed out. [7] In June 2015, NASA and National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy, which had been studying impact events on their own, signed an agreement to work in cooperation. [8]

In January 2016, NASA officially announced the establishment of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), appointing Lindley Johnson to lead it as Planetary Defense Officer. [4] [2] [9] The PDCO was given the job of cataloging and tracking potentially hazardous near-Earth objects (NEO), such as asteroids and comets, larger than 30–50 meters in diameter (compare to the 20-meter Chelyabinsk meteor that exploded over Russia in 2013) and coordinating an effective threat response and mitigation effort. [10] [11]

It has been a part of several key NASA missions, including OSIRIS-REx, [12] NEOWISE, and Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). For NEOWISE, NASA worked with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to investigate various impact-threat scenarios in order to learn the best approach to the threat of an incoming impactor. The office will continue to use the polar orbiting infrared telescope NEOWISE to detect any potentially hazardous objects. [13]

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), a joint project between NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, is the first planetary defense mission of NASA. [14] In November 2021, the DART spacecraft was launched with the goal of seeing if it could "alter an asteroid's path, a technique that may be used to defend the planet in the future". [5]

The 2021 movie Don't Look Up is about a "planet killer" comet, in which the Planetary Defense Officer is played by Rob Morgan. [15] The PDCO chief Lindley Johnson vetted an early draft of the screenplay over two years before the film's 2021 release. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteroid</span> Minor planets found within the inner Solar System

An asteroid is a minor planet—an object that is neither a true planet nor a comet—that orbits within the inner Solar System. They are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Near-Earth object</span> Small Solar System body whose orbit brings it close to Earth

A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body whose orbit brings it into proximity with Earth. By convention, a Solar System body is a NEO if its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 astronomical units (AU). If a NEO's orbit crosses the Earth's orbit, and the object is larger than 140 meters (460 ft) across, it is considered a potentially hazardous object (PHO). Most known PHOs and NEOs are asteroids, but a small fraction are comets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteroid impact avoidance</span> Methods to prevent destructive asteroid hits

Asteroid impact avoidance comprises the methods by which near-Earth objects (NEO) on a potential collision course with Earth could be diverted away, preventing destructive impact events. An impact by a sufficiently large asteroid or other NEOs would cause, depending on its impact location, massive tsunamis or multiple firestorms, and an impact winter caused by the sunlight-blocking effect of large quantities of pulverized rock dust and other debris placed into the stratosphere. A collision 66 million years ago between the Earth and an object approximately 10 kilometres wide is thought to have produced the Chicxulub crater and triggered the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that is understood by the scientific community to have caused the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spaceguard</span> Efforts to study asteroids that might impact Earth

The term Spaceguard loosely refers to a number of efforts to discover, catalogue, and study near-Earth objects (NEO), especially those that may impact Earth.

99942 Apophis is a near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous asteroid with a diameter of 370 metres that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 when initial observations indicated a probability up to 2.7% that it would hit Earth on April 13, 2029. Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth in 2029. Until 2006, a small probability nevertheless remained that, during its 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a gravitational keyhole of no more than about 800 metres in diameter, which would have set up a future impact exactly seven years later on April 13, 2036. This possibility kept it at Level 1 on the Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006, when the probability that Apophis would pass through the keyhole was determined to be very small and Apophis' rating on the Torino scale was lowered to zero. By 2008, the keyhole had been determined to be less than 1 km wide. During the short time when it had been of greatest concern, Apophis set the record for highest rating ever on the Torino scale, reaching level 4 on December 27, 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer</span> NASA satellite of the Explorer program

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is a NASA infrared astronomy space telescope in the Explorers Program. It was launched in December 2009, and placed in hibernation mode in February 2011, before being re-activated in 2013 and renamed the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE). WISE discovered thousands of minor planets and numerous star clusters. Its observations also supported the discovery of the first Y-type brown dwarf and Earth trojan asteroid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">65803 Didymos</span> Near-Earth asteroid

65803 Didymos is a sub-kilometer asteroid and binary system that is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group. The asteroid was discovered in 1996 by the Spacewatch survey at Kitt Peak, and its small 160-meter minor-planet moon, named Dimorphos, was discovered in 2003. Due to its binary nature, the asteroid was then named Didymos, the Greek word for 'twin'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potentially hazardous object</span> Hazardous near-Earth asteroid or comet

A potentially hazardous object (PHO) is a near-Earth object – either an asteroid or a comet – with an orbit that can make close approaches to the Earth and which is large enough to cause significant regional damage in the event of impact. They are conventionally defined as having a minimum orbit intersection distance with Earth of less than 0.05 astronomical units and an absolute magnitude of 22 or brighter, the latter of which roughly corresponds to a size larger than 140 meters. More than 99% of the known potentially hazardous objects are no impact threat over the next 100 years. As of September 2022, just 17 of the known potentially hazardous objects listed on the Sentry Risk Table could not be excluded as potential threats over the next hundred years. Over hundreds if not thousands of years though, the orbits of some "potentially hazardous" asteroids can evolve to live up to their namesake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NEO Surveyor</span> Space-based infrared telescope

NEO Surveyor, formerly called Near-Earth Object Camera (NEOCam), then NEO Surveillance Mission, is a planned space-based infrared telescope designed to survey the Solar System for potentially hazardous asteroids.

The Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) missions are a proposed pair of space probes which will study and demonstrate the kinetic effects of crashing an impactor spacecraft into an asteroid moon. The mission is intended to test and validate impact models of whether a spacecraft could successfully deflect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteroid Redirect Mission</span> 2013–2017 proposed NASA space mission

The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), also known as the Asteroid Retrieval and Utilization (ARU) mission and the Asteroid Initiative, was a space mission proposed by NASA in 2013; the mission was later cancelled. The Asteroid Retrieval Robotic Mission (ARRM) spacecraft would rendezvous with a large near-Earth asteroid and use robotic arms with anchoring grippers to retrieve a 4-meter boulder from the asteroid.

<span class="nowrap">2013 YP<sub>139</sub></span> Near-Earth asteroid in 2013

2013 YP139 is a dark sub-kilometer asteroid on a highly eccentric orbit, classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 400 meters (1,300 feet) in diameter.

<span class="nowrap">(341843) 2008 EV<sub>5</sub></span>

(341843) 2008 EV5, provisional designation 2008 EV5, is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Aten group, approximately 400 metres (1,300 feet) in diameter. It was discovered on 4 March 2008, by astronomers of the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, United States.

<span class="nowrap">2016 WF<sub>9</sub></span>

2016 WF9 is a dark, sub-kilometer asteroid and suspected extinct comet, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double Asteroid Redirection Test</span> 2021 NASA planetary defense mission

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was a NASA space mission aimed at testing a method of planetary defense against near-Earth objects (NEOs). It was designed to assess how much a spacecraft impact deflects an asteroid through its transfer of momentum when hitting the asteroid head-on. The selected target asteroid, Dimorphos, is a minor-planet moon of the asteroid Didymos; neither asteroid poses an impact threat to Earth. Launched from Earth on 24 November 2021, the DART spacecraft successfully collided with Dimorphos on 26 September 2022 at 23:14 UTC and shortened its orbit by 32 minutes, greatly in excess of the pre-defined success threshold of 73 seconds. DART's success in deflecting Dimorphos was due to the momentum transfer associated with the recoil of the ejected debris, which was substantially larger than that caused by the impact itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimorphos</span> Moon of asteroid Didymos

Dimorphos is a natural satellite or moon of the near-Earth asteroid 65803 Didymos, with which it forms a binary system. The moon was discovered on 20 November 2003 by Petr Pravec in collaboration with other astronomers worldwide. Dimorphos has a diameter of 177 meters (581 ft) across its longest extent and it was the target of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), a NASA space mission that deliberately collided a spacecraft with the moon on 26 September 2022 to alter its orbit around Didymos. Before the impact by DART, Dimorphos had a shape of an oblate spheroid with a surface covered in boulders but virtually no craters. The moon is thought to have formed when Didymos shed its mass due to its rapid rotation, which formed an orbiting ring of debris that conglomerated into a low-density rubble pile that became Dimorphos today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LICIACube</span> ASI CubeSat aboard DART spacecraft

Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids is a six-unit CubeSat of the Italian Space Agency (ASI). LICIACube is a part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission and carries out observational analysis of the Didymos asteroid binary system after DART's impact on Dimorphos. It communicates directly with Earth, sending back images of the ejecta and plume of DART's impact as well as having done asteroidal study during its flyby of the Didymos system from a distance of 56.7 km (35.2 mi), 165 seconds after DART's impact. LICIACube is the first purely Italian autonomous spacecraft in deep space. Data archiving and processing is managed by the Space Science Data Center (SSDC) of the ASI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Fast</span> American Scientist

Kelly E. Fast is an American astronomer, program scientist, and science communicator who currently serves as the Program Manager for NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations program, the Program Scientist for the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), and the Program Officer for NASA’s Yearly Opportunities for Research in Planetary Defense (YORPD) research solicitation. The portfolio Fast oversees is part of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which manages asteroid impact avoidance activities across NASA and coordinates U.S. interagency and international efforts to study and plan a response to the asteroid impact hazard. In 2003, main belt asteroid 115434 was renamed “Kellyfast” in honor of her contributions to planetary science.

References

  1. ↑ "How a real NASA patch anchors Netflix's 'Don't Look Up' in reality". collectSPACE.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "PDCO Organization". NASA. NASA. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ Sarkar, Monica (January 13, 2016). "NASA Planetary Defense Office set up to save Earth". CNN. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  4. 1 2 David, Leonard (January 11, 2016). "NASA creates office to coordinate protection against asteroids". Christian Science Monitor . Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Roulette, Joey (November 24, 2021). "NASA Launches New Mission: Crash Into Asteroid, Defend Planet Earth". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  6. ↑ Jonah Engel Bromwich (April 19, 2017). "Asteroid Misses Earth Narrowly, by Cosmic Standards". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ Martin, Paul K. (September 15, 2014). NASA’s Efforts to Identify Near-Earth Objects and Mitigate Hazards (PDF). NASA Office of Inspector General. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ Broad, William J. (June 18, 2015). "Agencies, Hoping to Deflect Comets and Asteroids, Step Up Earth Defense". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ David, Leonard (January 5, 2021). "Defending Earth against dangerous asteroids: Q&A with NASA's Lindley Johnson". Space.com . Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Planetary Defense Coordination Office". NASA . December 22, 2015. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2016.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  11. ↑ Templeton, Graham (January 12, 2016). "NASA is opening a new office for planetary defense". ExtremeTech . Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  12. ↑ "OSIRIS-REx". NASA. April 14, 2021. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  13. ↑ Laguipo, Angela (January 16, 2016). "This Is How NASA's Planetary Defense Office Will Protect Planet Earth From Asteroid Collisions". Tech Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Double Asteroid Redirection Test". Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory . Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2021.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  15. ↑ Tyler Austin Harper (December 22, 2021). "Silicon Valley Won't Save Us". Slate. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  16. ↑ Kluger, Jeffrey (December 21, 2021). "Breaking Down the Mostly Real Science Behind Don't Look Up". Time. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.