Early Detection of Hazardous Near-Earth Asteroid Encounters


Steven Chesley, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

It is no longer unusual when a recently discovered Near-Earth Asteroid
(NEA) is recognized as posing a non-negligible impact threat to Earth.
This presentation will describe the dynamical theories and computational
techniques used to search an NEA's range of possible future motions for
potentially threatening encounters. These methods are the basis of the
existing automatic impact monitoring systems. We will also consider the
hazard metrics that are used to categorize threatening events and to
prioritize the associated objects for further observation.  Finally, the
talk will address some of the public relations pitfalls that face those
working in this highly visible field.