The ADRC will conduct a variety of research projects and collaborate with key individuals and organizations in order to effectively study ways to mitigate the threat posed by Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). An overview of all research projects can be found here.
NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) Phase 2 Study
Professor Bong Wie and his study team, consisting of Brent Barbee at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and several graduate students at the ADRC, has recently been granted a $500K, two-year Phase 2 study award from the NIAC program of the NASA Office of the Chief Technologist. The proposal is entitled “An Innovative Solution to NASA’s NEO Impact Threat Mitigation Grand Challenge and Its Flight Validation Mission Development.” An innovative hypervelocity asteroid intercept vehicle (HAIV) concept for mitigating the most probable impact threat of near-Earth objects (NEOs) with a short warning time, to be further developed in this Phase 2 study, employs a two-body space vehicle consisting of a fore body (leader) and an aft body (follower). The fore body spacecraft provides proper kinetic impact crater conditions for an aft body carrying nuclear explosives to make a robust and effective explosion below the surface of an asteroid body. This study will also assess the technical feasibility of employing various nuclear explosions in the presence of realistic technological constraints as well as physical modeling uncertainties. A flight validation mission proposal will also be developed.
NASA has selected 10 NIAC Phase 2 proposals for funding under the NIAC Phase 2 program for the period of 9/10/12 – 9/10/14. The advanced concepts selected for study under NIAC were chosen based on their potential to transform our future space missions, enable new capabilities or significantly alter current approaches to launching, building and operating space systems. More details of a NIAC Phase 2 study awarded to the ADRC can be found from:
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/stp/niac/2012_phaseII_fellows_wie.html
In a recent wired.com article (http://www.wired.com/business/2013/01/ff-seven-big-ideas/all/), the HAIV concept being developed through a NIAC Phase 2 study has been featured as one of “7 Massive Ideas That Can Change the World.”
ISGC NEO Study (Current)
The first comprehensive Near-Earth Object deflection research study to be conducted by the ADRC is funded by Dr. Ramanathan Sugumaran, Director of the NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC). As such, it is the first asteroid mitigation research project ever to be formally funded by NASA. Under study are detection, characterization, and deflection of NEOs, as well as integration and coordination of these tasks.
ISGC New Base Program (Future)
A new base program of the Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) at Iowa State is awarded to identify and develop innovative space technologies to be employed for the robotic and human exploration of near-Earth objects (NEOs), in collaboration with NASA.
There are currently openings for interested undergraduate students.
Title: NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) Phase 1 Project (9/16/11 – 9/15/12)Professor Bong Wie has recently been granted a $100K Phase 1 study award from the NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) program of the NASA Office of the Chief Technologist. The proposal is entitled “Optimal Dispersion of Near-Earth Objects.” An innovative hypervelocity nuclear interceptor spacecraft (HNIS) concept for mitigating the most probable impact threat of near-Earth objects (NEOs) with a short warning time, to be examined in this study, employs a two-body space vehicle consisting of a fore body (leader) and an aft body (follower). The fore body spacecraft provides proper kinetic impact crater conditions for an aft body carrying nuclear explosives to make a robust and effective explosion below the surface of an asteroid body. This study will assess the technical feasibility of employing various nuclear explosions in the presence of realistic technological constraints as well as physical modeling uncertainties.NASA has selected 30 proposals for funding under the NIAC program. The advanced concepts selected for study under NIAC were chosen based on their potential to transform our future space missions, enable new capabilities or significantly alter current approaches to launching, building and operating space
systems. More details of the NIAC Phase 1 program can be found from:http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/niac/2011_phase1_selections.html Photo of Project |