[meteorite-list] Space Radar? (Was: Cold Asteroids May Have A Soft Heart)

From: Walter Branch <waltbranch_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:34:41 -0400
Message-ID: <091EA7B1E7CC44B8807F94F1B07D7249_at_Desktop>

Hello Eric,

>Will radar even work in space? If so, what's the range,
>and how would it work?

Radar does indeed work in space. The Gemini mission used radar to practice
spacecraft rendezvous in preparation for the Apollo lunar landings. As
well, with the actual landings, radar was used during the descent and ascent
phases. It was the ascent radar being accidentally switched on which caused
the infamous 1201 and 1202 alarms during the descent phase of Apollo 11.

As to the economy of using space-based radar to search for NEOs. As others
have pointed out, nahhh.

-Walter.





----- Original Message -----
From: "Meteorites USA" <eric at meteoritesusa.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 1:15 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Space Radar? (Was: Cold Asteroids May Have A
Soft Heart)


> Richard, List,
>
> Since smaller meteoroids and asteroids are nearly undetectable in space,
> and we're currently searching optically with telescopes. Is it possible to
> detect meteoroids/asteroids with space based radar?
>
> Will radar even work in space? If so, what's the range, and how would it
> work? Do we have something like this?
>
> I know we have space based weather radar satellites, but what about
> pointing them into empty space to search for asteroids?
>
> Sorry if this is a dumb question... Just curious.
>
> Regards,
> Eric
>
>
>
> On 4/13/2011 10:00 PM, Richard A. Kowalski wrote:
>> Small chunks of Vesta in earth crossing orbits, say 10 meters in
>> diameter, the size that can drop tens of kilos on the earth's surface,
>> are very difficult to detect. In fact something this size may only be
>> detected a few days before impact, if at all.
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Received on Thu 14 Apr 2011 07:34:41 AM PDT