ESA to join debate on asteroid threat
14 December 2001 - 14 December 2001
The European space agency (ESA) will join a debate on the threat posed by near Earth objects (NEOs) in space at a series of meetings held by the UK's Royal astronomical society in London on 14 December.
The event will discuss the action being taken by ESA, the United Nations (UN) and the UK government to further our understanding of NEOs and the hazard they pose.
Dr Marcello Coradini, coordinator of solar systems missions at ESA headquarters in Paris, will explain the agency's plans for space missions to study the physical nature of asteroids and comets. These include the Rosetta mission, the first craft designed to go into orbit around a comet, scheduled for launch in 2003.
Dr Colin Hicks, Director of the British national space centre, will present UK policy on NEOs and Dr Hans Haubold, Director of the UN office for outer space affairs, will present the UN position. Other contributors will explain how UK astronomers and space researchers plan to become involved in the international Spaceguard programme, how the NEO hazard ranks against other large-scale potential disasters such as nuclear power station accidents, as well as analysing media coverage of the topic.
Dr Duncan Steel of the University of Salford, UK, who helped to co-organise the meeting, said: 'This is astronomy close to home. Only recently has the importance of comets and asteroids to our own planet been recognised. But quite apart from potential impact catastrophes, NEOs are worlds in their own right. Studying them is becoming a central feature of solar system exploration. The next few years promise a wealth of interesting information on asteroids and comets.'
The meetings are open to the public and the media.For further information, please contact:
Dr Duncan Steel
Joule Physics Laboratory
University of Salford
Greater Manchester
M5 4WT
England
Tel: +44 161 295 3981
Fax: +44 161 295 5147
E-mail: D.I.Steel@salford.ac.uk
Professor Mark Bailey
Armagh Observatory
College Hill
Armagh
BT61 9DG
Northern Ireland
Tel: +44 28 3752 2928
Fax: +44 28 3752 7174
E-mail: meb@star.arm.ac.uk
The event will discuss the action being taken by ESA, the United Nations (UN) and the UK government to further our understanding of NEOs and the hazard they pose.
Dr Marcello Coradini, coordinator of solar systems missions at ESA headquarters in Paris, will explain the agency's plans for space missions to study the physical nature of asteroids and comets. These include the Rosetta mission, the first craft designed to go into orbit around a comet, scheduled for launch in 2003.
Dr Colin Hicks, Director of the British national space centre, will present UK policy on NEOs and Dr Hans Haubold, Director of the UN office for outer space affairs, will present the UN position. Other contributors will explain how UK astronomers and space researchers plan to become involved in the international Spaceguard programme, how the NEO hazard ranks against other large-scale potential disasters such as nuclear power station accidents, as well as analysing media coverage of the topic.
Dr Duncan Steel of the University of Salford, UK, who helped to co-organise the meeting, said: 'This is astronomy close to home. Only recently has the importance of comets and asteroids to our own planet been recognised. But quite apart from potential impact catastrophes, NEOs are worlds in their own right. Studying them is becoming a central feature of solar system exploration. The next few years promise a wealth of interesting information on asteroids and comets.'
The meetings are open to the public and the media.For further information, please contact:
Dr Duncan Steel
Joule Physics Laboratory
University of Salford
Greater Manchester
M5 4WT
England
Tel: +44 161 295 3981
Fax: +44 161 295 5147
E-mail: D.I.Steel@salford.ac.uk
Professor Mark Bailey
Armagh Observatory
College Hill
Armagh
BT61 9DG
Northern Ireland
Tel: +44 28 3752 2928
Fax: +44 28 3752 7174
E-mail: meb@star.arm.ac.uk