[meteorite-list] Space Radar?

From: Matson, Robert D. <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:18:22 -0700
Message-ID: <9180F6B27399C541B10663E21C8BDE9201951F34_at_0461-its-exmb09.us.saic.com>

Hi Eric,

There is one crucial aspect of the radar problem that I don't
think anyone here has yet explained which is the main reason it
will never (and ~should~ never) be done. It's not about money or
politics or priorities. It's about geometry. Anything that a
radar can do in space, passive optical detectors can do FAR,
FAR better. Asteroid detection with telescopes is an inverse
square law problem; asteroid detection with radars is a range
to the *4th* power problem. Thus radar is useless for early
warning.

Where radar is VERY useful is for pinging NEOs that have
already been discovered (quite likely by the Catalina Sky
Survey) in order to refine the knowledge of their exact orbits.
We can only do this for NEOs that come quite close to earth
(due to that pesky 1/range^4 factor), and thanks to their
enormous size ground-based radars will always be far more
sensitive and powerful than anything we could put up in orbit.

--Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of
Meteorites USA
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 11:02 AM
To: Richard A. Kowalski
Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Space Radar?

I've got an idea. (imagine that) ;)

Since funding for space programs and missions seems to be so damned hard
to get, and budget cuts usually effect the space program first. Perhaps
someone should package this program/mission as a defense program. A
private company seems to get a government defense contract much easier
than a scientific study and research grant right?

Technically this is a war of our world. We're a sitting duck in a solar
system sized pond for those 140m and 1km sized objects. Anything larger
than 140m can do serious damage, kill millions of people, cause hundreds
of billions of dollars in damage, and damage the infrastructure of our
nation to an extent it would cripple us on a national security and
financial level such that's never been seen before in the history of
humanity.

After effects from an impact of even a 140m sized object say on
Manhattan Island NY would wipe out all of downtown New York City,
killing over 10 million people and destroying a world financial hub.
Disease would run rampant, hospitals for hundreds of miles around would
fill with the injured, and our first responder system would be
overwhelmed. It was overwhelmed with 9/11. I couldn't imagine an
asteroid strike. Not that an asteroid would slam New York, I'm just
using that as an extreme example. The statistical chance of one hitting
the Earth is very low, much less that it would impact New York. One
could impact in the ocean. 75% chance of that happening right?

Maybe that's why the gov isn't doing much on this? Statistics?

But those statistics are only based on the ones we know about. It's the
one you don't know about that gets you.

The more I learn about asteroids, meteorites, and where they come from,
the more I realize that there's more out there that we don't know, than
we do know. It's sobering for sure. The more we search, the more we
find. More eyes open looking up gives us a better chance of seeing one
before it surprises us. It just boggles my mind hat the gov doesn't
devote more time to this given that we are finding so many larger sized
asteroids out there at an ever increasing rate. It hasn't slowed, it's
increased, and as technology gets better, I'd hazard a guess that we'll
find ever more.

Little more than 100 years ago there was a little event in Russia that
leveled thousands of square miles of forest in a remote area. Tunguska
should have been a wake up call for everyone. But alas the human memory
is nothing compared to the cosmic memory of the universe. 100 years is
nothing in cosmic time, and we have no way to know whats out there
unless we're looking up.

Perhaps ignorance is bliss. Close your eyes everyone, it won't hurt
much. I think people may underestimate the number of rocks out there
with our name on it. Maybe I'm overestimating, but I don't think so.

Sorry if this seems all doom and gloom, but the USA perhaps should fund
this through both a scientific AND and defense related mission. Maybe
involve the private sector since the space program is going that way
anyway. Perhaps there's an industry there waiting to be born.

Regards,
Eric
Received on Thu 14 Apr 2011 02:18:22 PM PDT