Post mitigation impact risk analysis for asteroid deflection demonstration missions

Autor(en)
Siegfried Eggl, Daniel Hestroffer, W. Thuillot, David Bancelin, Juan L. Cano, Filippo Cichocki
Abstrakt

Even though mankind believes to have the capabilities to avert potentially disastrous asteroid impacts, only the realization of mitigation demonstration missions can validate this claim. Such a deflection demonstration attempt has to be cost effective, easy to validate, and safe in the sense that harmless asteroids must not be turned into potentially hazardous objects. Uncertainties in an asteroid’s orbital and physical parameters as well as those additionally introduced during a mitigation attempt necessitate an in depth analysis of deflection mission designs in order to dispel planetary safety concerns. We present a post mitigation impact risk analysis of a list of potential kinetic impactor based deflection demonstration missions proposed in the framework of the NEOShield project. Our results confirm that mitigation induced uncertainties have a significant influence on the deflection outcome. Those cannot be neglected in post deflection impact risk studies. We show, furthermore, that deflection missions have to be assessed on an individual basis in order to ensure that asteroids are not inadvertently transported closer to the Earth at a later date. Finally, we present viable targets and mission designs for a kinetic impactor test to be launched between the years 2025 and 2032.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Astrophysik
Externe Organisation(en)
Université de Lille, DEIMOS Space S.L.U.
Journal
Advances in Space Research
Band
56
Seiten
528-548
Anzahl der Seiten
21
ISSN
0273-1177
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2015.02.030
Publikationsdatum
08-2015
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
103003 Astronomie, 103004 Astrophysik
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Aerospace Engineering, Geophysics, Allgemeine Erdkunde und Planetologie, Space and Planetary Science, Atmospheric Science
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/5d947dc4-d4f8-43bf-a387-4458b776c750