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Space capabilities play a crucial role in ensuring human security. One of the threats coming from space is the possible damage to our assets by an asteroid or comet impact. As demonstrated by the object entering the Earth's atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013, the threat of an asteroid or comet impact is a real and global issue demanding development of an international response. Addressing such a hazard, by first identifying those objects that pose a threat to enable planning a corresponding mitigation campaign, require international coordination. The United Nations Member States, especially those with capabilities to engage in a possible planetary defence mission, already share a number of common activities in this field. This paper outlines the progress made in the implementation of recommendations for an international response to the NEO impact threat, as agreed under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and welcomed by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 68/75 of December 2013. The recommendations provide for a coordinated international response to a possible NEO threat. They aim at ensuring international information-sharing in discovering, monitoring and physically characterizing potentially hazardous NEOs with a view that all countries, in particular developing countries with limited capacity in predicting and mitigating a NEO impact, are aware of potential threats. They emphasize the need for an effective emergency response and disaster management in the event of a discovered NEO impact threat. The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG), which are the two entities established in 2014 as a result of the UN-endorsed recommendations, are important mechanisms at the global level for strengthening the coordination in the area of planetary defence. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) acts as secretariat to SMPAG and works with both IAWN and SMPAG in addressing this global issue. In the event of a credible impact prediction, warnings would be issued by the IAWN, the SMPAG would propose mitigation options and implementation plans for consideration to the Member States. The goal is the global protection of the eco-system, of human beings and their properties on Earth, and of the civilization of humankind from a devastating asteroid impact. The current paper outlines the work of the IAWN and the SMPAG towards a road-map for planetary defence at the global level, including agreements on initial criteria and thresholds for impact threat response actions, consideration of mitigation mission types and technologies and mapping of threat scenarios to mission types as well as developing a plan for action in case a credible threat is discovered. The paper also reflects on how to convey information about the NEO impact warnings and associated impact probabilities to the public and governmental decision-makers as part of the agreed communications guidelines, which are another important pillar in the work of the IAWN.

The thermal inertia of an asteroid's surface can provide insight into regolith properties, such as the presence of a layer of fine dust, the density and thermal conductivity of a rocky surface, and, together with other observational data, mineralogy. Knowledge of the surface characteristics of asteroids is important for planetary defense initiatives and the extraction of resources ("asteroid mining"). A simple means of estimating asteroid thermal inertia has been proposed by Harris & Drube, which is suitable for application to large sets of thermal-infrared observational data, such as those obtained by infrared space telescopes. We compare results from the Harris-Drube estimator with recently published values of asteroid thermal inertia from detailed thermophysical modeling, and provide an explanation in terms of reduced surface roughness for some discrepant results. Smooth surfaces covered in fine dust may provide an explanation for the unexpectedly low values of thermal inertia derived from thermophysical modeling for some slowly rotating main-belt asteroids (MBAs). In the case of near-Earth objects (NEOs) we show that results from the estimator are in good agreement with those from thermophysical modeling, with just a few exceptions. We discuss the special cases of the NEOs (101955) Bennu, (162173) Ryugu, and (29075) 1950 DA in the context of results from our estimator. Given the data requirements and complexity of thermophysical modeling, data-analysis tools based on relatively simple concepts can play an important role in allowing "quick-look" assessment of thermal-infrared data of asteroids, especially NEOs., 24 pages, 9 figures, Accepted Manuscript, ApJ

著者人数: 37名 (所属. 宇宙航空研究開発機構宇宙科学研究所(JAXA)(ISAS): 岡田, 達明; 坂谷, 尚哉; 田中, 智; 矢野, 創), Number of authors: 37 (Affiliation. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA)(ISAS): Okada, Tatsuaki; Sakatani, Naoya; Tanaka, Satoshi; Yano, Hajime）, Accepted: 2019-06-04, 資料番号: SA1190164000

We present a concept for a kinetic impactor demonstration mission, which intends to change the spin rate of a previously-visited asteroid, in this case 25143 Itokawa. The mission would determine the efficiency of momentum transfer during an impact, and help mature the technology required for a kinetic impactor mission, both of which are important precursors for a future space mission to deflect an asteroid by collisional means in an emergency situation. Most demonstration mission concepts to date are based on changing an asteroid's heliocentric orbit and require a reconnaissance spacecraft to measure the very small orbital perturbation due to the impact. Our concept is a low-cost alternative, requiring only a single launch. Taking Itokawa as an example, an estimate of the order of magnitude of the change in the spin period, δ P , with such a mission results in δ P of ~4 min (0.5%), which could be detectable by Earth-based observatories. Our preliminary study found that a mission concept in which an impactor produces a change in an asteroid's spin rate could provide valuable information for the assessment of the viability of the kinetic-impactor asteroid deflection concept. Furthermore, the data gained from the mission would be of great benefit for our understanding of the collisional evolution of asteroids and the physics behind crater and ejecta-cloud development.

The optical microscope onboard the Phoenix spacecraft has returned color images (4 μm pixel-1) of soils that were delivered to and held on various substrates. A preliminary taxonomy of Phoenix soil particles, based on color, size, and shape, identifies the following particle types [generic names in brackets]: (1) reddish fines, mostly unresolved, that are spectrally similar to (though slightly darker than) global airborne dust [red fines], (2) silt- to sand-sized brownish grains [brown sand], (3) silt- to sand-sized black grains [black sand], and (4) small amounts of whitish fines, possibly salts [white fines]. Most particles have a saturation magnetization in the range 0.5-2 Am2 kg-1 as inferred from their interaction with magnetic substrates. The particle size distribution has two distinct peaks below 10 μm (fines) and in the range 20-100 μm (grains), respectively, and is different from that of ripple soils in Gusev crater. In particular medium to large sand grains appear to be absent in Phoenix soils. Most sand grains have subrounded shape with variable texture. A fractured grain (observed on sol 112) reveals evidence of micrometer-sized crystal facets. The brown sand category displays a large diversity in color including shiny, almost colorless particles. Potential source regions for these grains may be the Tharsis volcanoes or Heimdal crater (20 km east of the landing site). The black grains are suggested to belong to a more widespread population of particles with mafic mineralogy. The absence of black/brown composite grains is consistent with different formation pathways and source regions for each grain type. Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.

Every day Earth is hit by around 100 tonnes of cosmic material, most of it comes in the form of dust or small rocks, which burn up as meteors in the atmosphere. Sometimes, however, larger objects, asteroids or comets, enter the Earth’s atmosphere and then even relatively small objects can cause considerable damage. The object that exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013 had a diameter of only 17–20 m, yet it produced a blast wave that damaged buildings and injured some 1500 people. It entered the Earth’s atmosphere with a velocity of 65 000 km/h and, due to the frictional heating and stresses caused by compression of the air, it exploded at an altitude of some 25 km releasing an energy 30 times that of the Hiroshima bomb. The potentially devastating effects on Earth of a collision with a large asteroid or comet are now well recognized by scientists and policy makers. So the question is now, can we protect our civilization from the next major impact? NEOShield, a project funded by the European Commission’ Seventh Framework Programme, brought together an international team of 13 partner organizations from 6 countries to address the global issue of near-­‐Earth object (NEO) impact prevention. The project ran from 2012 to mid 2015, after which the NEOShield-­‐2 project funded by the European Commission’ H2020 Programme is continuing the research until fall 2017. The purpose of the projects is to carry out detailed analysis of realistic options for preventing a potentially catastrophic impact of a NEO on Earth. While a mitigation test mission is beyond the financial scope of the current project, the NEOShield technical partners, with the support of the science team, aim to provide detailed designs of appropriate test-­‐missions for the 3 most feasible mitigation concepts: kinetic impactor, gravity tractor, and blast deflection, so that it will be possible to quickly develop an actual test mission at a later stage. Project partners are also carrying out research into the mitigation-­‐relevant physical properties of NEOs, including observations of near-­‐Earth asteroids, analysis of available observational data, laboratory experiments on asteroid analogue materials, and modelling and computer simulations. The aim of the scientific work is to facilitate predictions of the outcome of deflection attempts using different techniques on a variety of NEO types.

Knowledge of the surface thermal inertia of an asteroid can provide insight into surface structure: porous material has a lower thermal inertia than rock. We develop a means to estimate thermal inertia values of asteroids and use it to show that thermal inertia appears to increase with spin period in the case of main-belt asteroids (MBAs). Similar behavior is found on the basis of thermophysical modeling for near-Earth objects (NEOs). We interpret our results in terms of rapidly increasing material density and thermal conductivity with depth, and provide evidence that thermal inertia increases by factors of 10 (MBAs) to 20 (NEOs) within a depth of just 10 cm. Our results are consistent with a very general picture of rapidly changing material properties in the topmost regolith layers of asteroids and have important implications for calculations of the Yarkovsky effect, including its perturbation of the orbits of potentially hazardous objects and those of asteroid family members after the break-up event. Evidence of a rapid increase of thermal inertia with depth is also an important result for studies of the ejecta-enhanced momentum transfer of impacting vehicles ("kinetic impactors") in planetary defense., Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

Deflection missions to near-Earth asteroids will encounter non-negligible uncertainties in the physical and orbital parameters of the target object. In order to reliably assess future impact threat mitigation operations such uncertainties have to be quantified and incorporated into the mission design. The implementation of deflection demonstration missions offers the great opportunity to test our current understanding of deflection relevant uncertainties and their consequences, e.g., regarding kinetic impacts on asteroid surfaces. In this contribution, we discuss the role of uncertainties in the NEOTwIST asteroid deflection demonstration concept, a low-cost kinetic impactor design elaborated in the framework of the NEOShield project. The aim of NEOTwIST is to change the spin state of a known and well characterized near-Earth object, in this case the asteroid (25143) Itokawa. Fast events such as the production of the impact crater and ejecta are studied via cube-sat chasers and a flyby vehicle. Long term changes, for instance, in the asteroid's spin and orbit, can be assessed using ground based observations. We find that such a mission can indeed provide valuable constraints on mitigation relevant parameters. Furthermore, the here proposed kinetic impact scenarios can be implemented within the next two decades without threatening Earth's safety., Accepted for publication in the proceedings of the IAUS 318 - Asteroids: New Observations, New Models, held at the IAU General Assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA 2015

We are now approaching the level of technical expertise necessary to deflect a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) capable of destroying a large urban area, if not a small country. The current level of activity in the field, including search programs, physical characterization, and international initiatives to assess mitigation strategies, is unprecedented. However, we have only just started to explore the relevant properties of the small end of the NEA population (diameter < 300 m), of which the next major impactor is most likely to be a member. The Chelyabinsk event has reminded us that objects as small as 20 m, about which we know very little, impact frequently and are a serious threat to life and property. Political awareness and international response efforts are still at a very primitive stage. For a global guarantee of protection, advances in scientific and technical competence must be matched by improvements in international coordination, and preparedness at the political level.

[1] The Magnetic Properties Experiment (referred to as iSweep or Caltarget) onboard the Phoenix lander was executed in the arctic region of Mars during the mission's 152 sols lifetime. The iSweep experiment involved periodic multispectral imaging of a series of permanent ring magnets. It was designed to attract airborne magnetic dust particles to certain areas on the iSweeps thereby sorting all settling airborne particles at least to some degree according to their magnetic properties. The dust on the area directly above the strong magnets of the iSweep was found to be brighter than that collected on the precursor Sweep Magnet Experiment onboard the Mars Exploration Rovers near Mars' equator, and also this dust is found to be brighter than both surface soil near the lander and soil in the region surrounding the lander. As most other dust and soils on Mars, the Phoenix dust lacks strong spectral signatures of highly crystalline phases. For the first time, based on the complete calibrated data set of images of the iSweeps, spectra were extracted of the putative dust falling on the magnetically protected areas of the iSweeps. These areas are accessible only for particles with a magnetic susceptibility below 10−3. Spectra of this nonmagnetic dust are interpreted as signals from nonmagnetic minerals such as tectosilicates or glasses pigmented by poorly crystalline ferric oxides. Rates of dust settling were determined to be 1.08 μm/sol on the magnets and 0.06 μm/sol for the magnetically protected areas.

[1] The Phoenix Mars Lander detected a larger number of short (∼20 s) pressure drops that probably indicate the passage of convective vortices or dust devils. Near-continuous pressure measurements have allowed for monitoring the frequency of these events, and data from other instruments and orbiting spacecraft give information on how these pressure events relate to the seasons and weather phenomena at the Phoenix landing site. Here 502 vortices were identified with a pressure drop larger than 0.3 Pa occurring in the 151 sol mission (Ls 76 to 148). The diurnal distributions show a peak in convective vortices around noon, agreeing with current theory and previous observations. The few events detected at night might have been mechanically forced by turbulent eddies caused by the nearby Heimdal crater. A general increase with major peaks in the convective vortex activity occurs during the mission, around Ls = 111. This correlates with changes in midsol surface heat flux, increasing wind speeds at the landing site, and increases in vortex density. Comparisons with orbiter imaging show that in contrast to the lower latitudes on Mars, the dust devil activity at the Phoenix landing site is influenced more by active weather events passing by the area than by local forcing.

[1] The objective of the Phoenix mission is to determine if Mars' polar region can support life. Since liquid water is a basic ingredient for life, as we know it, an important goal of the mission is to determine if liquid water exists at the landing site. It is believed that a layer of Martian soil preserves ice by forming a barrier against high temperatures and sublimation, but that exposed ice sublimates without the formation of the liquid phase. Here we show possible independent physical and thermodynamical evidence that besides ice, liquid saline water exists in areas disturbed by the Phoenix Lander. Moreover, we show that the thermodynamics of freeze-thaw cycles can lead to the formation of saline solutions with freezing temperatures lower than current summer ground temperatures on the Phoenix landing site on Mars' Arctic. Thus, we hypothesize that liquid saline water might occur where ground ice exists near the Martian surface. The ideas and results presented in this article provide significant new insights into the behavior of water on Mars.

The first NASA scout mission to Mars, Phoenix, launched 4 August will land in the northern part of Mars in the locality of 68°N and 233°E on 25 May 2008. Part, of the science payload is the Magnetic Properties Experiments (MPE) that consists of two main experiments: the Improved Sweep Magnet Experiment (ISWEEP) and 10 sets of two Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) magnet substrates with embedded permanent magnets of different strength. The ISWEEP experiment is, as the name indicates, an improved version of the Sweep Magnet Experiments flown onboard the two Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) Spirit and Opportunity. The sweep magnet is ring shaped and is designed to allow only nonmagnetic particles to enter a small circular area at the center of the surface of this structure. Results from this experiment have shown that on the MERs hardly any particles can be detected in the central area of this ring-shaped magnet. From this we have concluded that essentially all particles in the Martian atmosphere are magnetic in the sense that they are attracted to permanent magnets. In order to improve the sensitivity of the Sweep Magnet Experiment for detection of nonmagnetic or very weakly magnetic particles, the ISWEEP holds six ring-shaped magnets, somewhat larger than the sweep magnet of the MERs, and with six different background colors in the central area. The six different colors provide new possibilities for improved contrast between these background colors, i.e., any putative nonmagnetic particles should render these more easily detectable. The Surface Stereo Imager will also take advantage of the small clean areas in the ISWEEPs and use the presumably constant colors for radiometric calibration of images. The MECA magnets work as substrates in the MECA microscopy experiments; they are built to attract and hold magnetic particles from dust samples. The collected dust will then be examined by the optical microscope and the atomic force microscope in the MECA package. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Asteroids and comets probably contributed significantly to the delivery of water and organic materials to the early Earth necessary for the development of life. However, later impacts of near-Earth objects almost certainly played a role in mass extinctions and evolution. Today, the Earth is frequently visited by near-Earth objects; most pass by harmlessly but occasionally one enters the atmosphere and explodes as a fireball, distributing meteorite fragments, or hits the ground intact forming a crater. In both cases, there is potential for catastrophic damage to life and property. This chapter discusses the significance of near-Earth objects in the context of the history of the solar system and the impact hazard. Investigations into the size distribution of the population of near-Earth objects are described, and the research methods used to explore their physical nature are explained.

Although typically less resolved through observations, the secondary in a binary system of asteroids is an interesting target for space missions such as the Asteroid Impact Mission. Estimates of the surface temperature distribution are important for mission design. Based on known, assumed and derived physical properties, a thermophysical model of the smaller body in the 65803 Didymos system is established. Because of the unknown thermal inertia, a parameter study has been carried out for a thermal inertia range of Γ = 50 –1000 J m−2 K−1 s−1/2. Results are presented for the minimum and maximum values of this range and a likely value of Γ = 500 J m−2 K−1 s−1/2. The parameter study extends from the unshadowed to the eclipsed case where shadowing through the primary is simulated in a simplified manner assuming that the orbit of the moon lies in the equatorial plane of the primary with its z-axis normal to this plane. Results from this study are used to investigate performance for instruments foreseen for the Asteroid Impact Mission. Preliminary results are obtained for the signal-to-noise ratio of a proposed thermal infrared imager. Furthermore, MASCOT-2 Lander thermal survivability has been investigated for several possible landing sites and specific settings.