NASA's Asteroid Tracking Sensor Has Passed A Key Test

A NASA press release has revealed that technology currently in development for detecting and tracking asteroids and comets has passed a "critical design test."

The research dealt with an infrared sensor known as the Near Earth Object Camera (NEOCam). The NEOCam was successfully tested in an environment that "mimicked the temperatures and pressures of deep space." The device would be the centerpiece of a new space-based telescope designed for locating asteroids.

"Infrared sensors are a powerful tool for discovering, cataloging and understanding the asteroid population," said Amy Mainzer, a co-author of the paper and one of the principal investigators on NASA's NEOWISE mission at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "When you observe a space rock with infrared, you are seeing its thermal emissions, which can better define the asteroid's size, as well as tell you something about composition."

NASA hopes to one day use the telescope as part of its planned mission to "identify, capture and relocate an asteroid closer to Earth for future exploration by astronauts. "

Additionally, it will also potentially play a key role in helping to protect the planet from dangerous asteroid collisions.

"This sensor represents one of many investments made by NASA's Discovery Program and its Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program in innovative technologies to significantly improve future missions designed to protect Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids," said Lindley Johnson, a program executive for NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office.

The device is the culmination of nearly a decade of scientific research by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Rochester, and Teledyne Imaging Sensors.

"We were delighted to see in this generation of detectors a vast improvement in sensitivity compared with previous generations," said the University of Rochester's Craig McMurtry.

More details on the NEOCam sensor's designs will be published in the upcoming edition of the Journal of Optical Engineering.