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Week Ending May 13, 2005
HR 1023 Charles "Pete" Conrad Astronomy Awards Act.
BRIEF
There are over one thousand asteroids larger than a kilometer traveling in space near the Earth and representing a civilization changing (or ending) event should one strike the planet.
With the purpose of encouraging amateur astronomers to identify and track near-Earth asteroids for potential danger the bill authorizes the Administrator of the National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) to establish an awards program that recognizes discoveries of near-Earth asteroids by amateur astronomers who are citizens or permanent residents of the US.
The annual award can range to $3,000 and there may be two of them: One for the astronomer or group of them who discovered the intrinsically brightest near-Earth asteroid among all those discovered and the individual or group that made the greatest contribution to the Minor Planet Center cataloguing near-Earth Asteroids. (The Minor Planet Center is an element of the “Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Minor Planet Center, a nonprofit organization under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union, an association of professional astronomers.”)
Pete Conrad was the third man on the moon.
Sponsor: Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA-46th)
Vote: Passed House by voice vote (May 10, 2005)
Cost to the taxpayers: Up to $6,000 yearly.
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MORE INFORMATION
The purpose of the bill is to authorize the Administrator of the National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) to establish an awards program to recognize the discoveries of near-Earth asteroids by amateur astronomers, named in honor of the
astronaut and space scientist Charles `Pete' Conrad.
Monitoring and tracking near Earth asteroids is important to the advancement of the field of astronomy. Such activities also are important for identifying the potential threats to the Earth that these objects pose. Recent press accounts of asteroids passing close to the Earth have raised public awareness of the possibility that these objects could one day hit the Earth with potentially catastrophic consequences.
Amateur astronomers play an important role in monitoring near-Earth asteroids. Professional astronomers consider this service to be crucial for predicting orbital paths of near-Earth asteroids and detecting objects that deviate from their predicted orbits. The bill is designed to encourage amateur astronomers who track and monitor near-Earth asteroids.
The `Charles `Pete' Conrad Astronomy Awards Act' first was introduced by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in the 107th Congress as H.R. 5303. On October 3, 2002, the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics conducted a hearing entitled `The Threat of Near-Earth Asteroids,' which examined the threat posed by near-Earth objects (NEOs) and discussed the need for H.R. 5303.
The following witnesses testified at the hearing: Dr. Edward Weiler, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Associate Administrator for Space Science; Dr. David Morrison, Senior Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center; Brigadier General Simon `Pete' Worden, U.S. Air Force; Dr. Brian Marsden, Director, Minor Planet Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory; and Dr. Joseph Burns, Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering and Astronomy, Cornell University.
Dr. Ed Weiler testified on the progress of NASA's ground-based survey for NEOs, intended to identify 90 percent of Near-Earth asteroids larger than one kilometer in size by 2008. Dr. Weiler stated that there are estimated to be about 1,000 such asteroids, and that the six research groups currently funded by NASA to identify NEOs have together discovered over 600 objects and are ahead of the predicted schedule. Dr. Weiler believed it likely that the goal will be reached by 2008. Dr. Weiler said it was premature to decide whether to extend the survey goal to include objects smaller than one kilometer in size. Dr. Weiler stated that if such an extended survey effort were conducted from the ground, then NASA should not play a role because NASA is best suited to space-based missions. He stated that NASA's role is better suited for detailed study of particular asteroids and comets.
Dr. Morrison testified on the threat to the Earth of collisions with asteroids and comets. He stated that the greatest risk today is not from objects large enough to cause global extinctions (such as those believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs) but rather from objects large enough to disrupt the Earth's climate on a global scale by injecting large quantities of dust into the stratosphere. Objects of about one kilometer in size pose such a threat and thus are the target of the U.S. survey for NEOs. He stated that the next logical goal is to search for objects that are smaller but could still kill millions of people upon impact with the Earth. Even objects measuring only 200-300 meters in diameter should be tracked since these pose the greatest danger of causing tsunamis, he said. Dr. Morrison emphasized that the goal of the current survey is not to find objects on their final plunge toward Earth, but rather to identify objects in nearby orbits for future monitoring. Thus discovering an object that has already passed the Earth in its orbit is still considered a `success.'
Brig. General Worden testified that the U.S. military is developing sensitive surveillance technologies that could serve both defense and civilian interests. Such `dual-use' technology could contribute greatly to the detection of NEOs and would augment the current efforts of U.S. military telescopes used by NASA in NEO projects.
Dr. Brian Marsden testified on the management of data reported daily to the Minor Planet Center of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory regarding the observations of asteroids and comets. Dr. Marsden testified that the Minor Planet Center collects reports from around the world of detections of NEOs and other asteroids and comets and publishes confirmed detections electronically in the Minor Planet Electronic Circular. NEOs, he said, comprise less that one percent of the observations of asteroids as a whole. Dr. Marsden stated that augmentation of the Minor Planet Center staff is essential if the number of asteroid discoveries continues to increase, as would be expected with an extension of the NEO survey goals to include objects of smaller sizes. Dr. Marsden testified that most follow-up tracking observations of NEOs are made by amateur astronomers who would be encouraged in their activities by an award such as that created by the bill. Dr. Marsden testified that attention should also be given to long-period comets, which could pose an even greater risk than asteroids because they are less predictable.
Dr. Joseph Burns testified on the recommendations regarding NEOs from the recent National Research Council report entitled `New Frontiers in the Solar System,' resulting from the Solar System Exploration (SSE) Survey conducted with scientists nationwide. One of the primary recommendations from the report was that NASA and the National Science Foundation should contribute equally to the construction and operation of a Large-aperture Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a 6.5-meter-effective-diameter, very wide field (Æ3 degree) telescope that would produce a digital map of the visible sky every week, at a total cost of $125 million. Dr. Burns stated that the LSST could locate 90 percent of all NEOs down to 300 meters in size, enable computations of their orbits, and permit assessment of their threat to Earth. Dr. Burns testified that NASA should continue to be involved in ground-based NEO surveys even if the survey goals were extended because of NASA's experience with ground-based telescopes and because NASA has always been charged with using ground-based telescopes that aid space-based missions.
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