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Tiny Satellite Set To Hunt Asteroids

Posted by kdawson on from the with-its-tiny-little-eye dept.

coondoggie writes "Canadian scientists are developing a 143-lb microsatellite to detect and track near-earth asteroids and comets, as well as satellites and space junk. The suitcase-sized Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite includes a 6-inch diameter telescope, smaller than most amateur astronomers' scopes, that by being located 435 miles above the Earth's atmosphere will be able to detect moving asteroids delivering as few as 50 photons of light in a 100-second exposure. The NEOSSat will twist and turn hundreds of times each day, orbiting from pole to pole every 50 minutes, almost always in sunlight. The telescope has a sunshade that allows searching the sky to within 45 degrees of the Sun, in order to detect near-Earth asteroids whose orbits are entirely inside Earth's." The probe was announced a few days before the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska blast.

19 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. Beee Vewwy Vewwy Quiet... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm huntin' asteeroids.

  2. There is hope by Anonymous+Meoward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Any technology that can promise to shoot Bruce Willis into space one day is worth pursuing.

    (Just get Steve Buscemi back please.)

    --
    --- The American Way of Life is not a birthright. Hell, it's not even sustainable.
    1. Re:There is hope by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm sorry, I can't morally support any government project that leaves Bruce Willis in space but allows Ben Affleck to return.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. Insert coin by Applekid · · Score: 5, Funny

    Once the satellite is equipped with a gun, it can shoot the big asteroids into two smaller ones, and each of those asteroids into two even smaller ones. Hitting the smallest ones will make them disappear.

    --
    More Twoson than Cupertino
    1. Re:Insert coin by FlyingSquidStudios · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sadly, that only works when the asteroids are two-dimensional and hollow. However, the threat of randomly shooting flying saucers is now negligible.

      --
      http://twitter.com/OLDTELEGRAM
    2. Re:Insert coin by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Funny

      Just shoot them with a four-dimensional projectile, from whose perspective they are two-dimensional and hollow. YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND TIME CUBE!

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Insert coin by Chris+Pimlott · · Score: 2, Funny

      Scientists have released an interactive computer simulation demonstrating how the new system would work.

  4. space junk by thermian · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'd say its more likely that the space junk detection bit will be more useful in the short term, since it'll need a whole lot more then this to stop another one like the Tunguska impactor.

    What we need is a way of finding and clearing out the near earth orbitting man made crap so we can reliably place constellations of satellites in orbit, and open up commercial travel.

    I want to see active asteroid mining taking place, and for that we need clear skies. Hundreds of ships going up and down a day will mean its absolutely required.

    --
    A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
    1. Re:space junk by cavis · · Score: 5, Insightful

      From what I understand, NASA already tracks a large number of these objects from earth so they can avoid the debris. You don't want a launch a satellite or the Space Shuttle just to have it collide with Ed White's glove or Michael Collin's camera. The bigger problem is there are thousands of very small particles that came from explosions. Much of that debris has fallen back into the atmosphere and burnt up, but there is quite a bit still up there.

      The bigger question is: How do we clean it up?

  5. More info at. by Overkill+Nbuta · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://ucalgary.ca/news/june2008/NEOSSat

  6. Tiny?? That's not tiny.... by Muad'Dave · · Score: 3, Informative

    ... THIS is tiny!

    --
    Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
  7. Satellite swarms by OpenSourceNut · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It should be noted that this year is the 400th anniversary of the telescope.

    Maybe they will soon figure out how to etch a telescope on a circuit board and send swarms of thousands of networked satellites out there to look for these asteroids.

    --
    I'm now in Poland: http://williamwnek
  8. This is absolutely not approved by Daimanta · · Score: 4, Funny

    by the PETA. People for Ethical Treatment of Asteroids.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  9. Not Yet by FurtiveGlancer · · Score: 2, Funny

    I checked the Periodic table and couldn't find Klingonium (Kg). I believe it will be discovered somewhere in the 160-190 range of atomic numbers as a metaloid with an irregular "ridged" f orbit electron pair. Mark my words...

    --
    Invenio via vel creo
  10. Re:Real numbers by SBacks · · Score: 2, Funny

    The telescope has a sunshade that allows searching the sky to within 45 degrees of the Sun,

    Don't you mean 0.785398 radians?

  11. Damned Canadians are taking over the solar system! by mr_nazgul · · Score: 2, Funny

    Step 1) Find NEO's
    Step 2) Plant Canadian Flag on NEO's for future mining.
    Step 3) Canadian Profit!

    --
    Good.. Bad.. I'm the guy with the gun.
  12. Coverage by Iamthecheese · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Does anyone care to do the math and report back with the percentage of coverage?

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    If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
  13. Sat Stats by condition-label-red · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Interesting maneuvering method: solar powered magnetic fields -- no fuel needed.

    NEOSSat

    Telescope: Able to look for objects near the sun - a task virtually impossible to do from Earth.

    Extends 30 centimetres.

    Weight: 65 kilograms

    Power: 45 watts with favourable orientation of solar panels

    Propulsion: Solar-powered magnetic "fingers" push against the Earth's magnetic field. It will never run out of propellant.

    Orbit: Sun synchronous, 800 km above the Earth, orbiting pole to pole

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  14. I'd totally play that game. by Kingrames · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can just picture it, the final boss shows up...

    "That's no space station..."

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    If you can read this, I forgot to post anonymously.