[meteorite-list] Unbreakable Asteroids

[Richard Kowalski]

--- On Thu, 3/11/10, Meteorites USA <eric at meteoritesusa.com> wrote:

 > Now who's going to find the next
 > one? Greg, Richard? Anyone?

Thanks Eric.

Every year since 2005, we have discovered a record breaking number of new NEOs. 
Before October 2008, we had discussed discovering small impactors, but without 
much expectation of actually doing it. Since then, we have spent a lot more time 
discussing requirements and strategies needed to increase our odds in 
discovering more of these objects in their terminal plunge without hindering our 
primary responsibility, discovering and tracking NEOs which are 1-km in diameter 
and larger.

Some of you may have read about our proposed second phase survey, dubbed 
"CSS-II" in the National Research Council's "Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth 
Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies: Final Report", which was 
released a few months ago. We are confident that this system would likely turn 
up more small sized impactors before the terminal plunge.

If funded, CSS-II would be a follow on and expansion of our current survey, 
which is funded through 2013. We are also investigating ways to obtain cameras 
with larger sensors and Fields of View  than our current cameras. These new 
cameras would allow us to cover even greater amount of sky in less time. This 
would also have the added benefit of increasing the odds of finding more small 
impactors.

It is unlikely that any other current or future survey, with the exception of 
CSS/CSS-II, will be able to discover these suicidal rocks before (or if), LSST 
becomes operational sometime after 2016.

Unfortunately with current government budgetary constraints, this desirable 
upgrade may not take place unless we find a private benefactor.


-- 
Richard Kowalski
Catalina Sky Survey
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/css/