[meteorite-list] NASA Update to Highlight Progress, Upcoming Milestones for Asteroid Redirect Mission, Observation, Grand Challenge

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 10:08:17 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201406161708.s5GH8HtT006524_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

June 16, 2014
     
NASA Update to Highlight Progress, Upcoming Milestones for Asteroid
Redirect Mission, Observation, Grand Challenge

On Thursday, June 19, NASA will host a televised update on recent progress
and upcoming milestones in the agency's efforts to identify, capture and
relocate an asteroid, and send astronauts to take samples of it in the 2020s.
The 1-2:30 p.m. EDT event will kick off a two-day virtual workshop to
highlight successes and new opportunities through NASA's Asteroid Grand
Challenge, which coincides with its first anniversary.

As leftover building blocks of the solar system, near-Earth asteroids may
hold important clues about the origins of life and other scientific
questions. Improving our understanding of asteroid composition and movement
could help us protect Earth from impacts and identify good candidates for
future missions as we expand human presence to Mars.

For these reasons and more, NASA is engaged in an Asteroid Redirect Mission,
which plans to identify, capture and redirect an asteroid to a stable orbit
around the moon, where astronauts will study it in the 2020s. New
partnerships through the agency's grand challenge also are helping augment
NASA's existing work to identify asteroid threats to Earth and figure out
what to do about them.

During the event, speakers from multiple NASA centers and universities will
discuss asteroid observation efforts and new findings, current and future
testing for the Asteroid Redirect Mission, and ways for the public to
participate in the grand challenge.

Participants in the update are:
-- Lindley Johnson, program executive, NASA's Near Earth Object Program
-- Michele Gates, program director, NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission
-- Jason Kessler, program executive, NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge
-- Paul Chodas, program scientist, NASA's Near Earth Object Program
-- David Tholen, astronomer, University of Hawaii
-- Marco Micheli, research assistant, University of Hawaii
-- David Trilling, associate professor, Northern Arizona University
-- Michael Mommert, post-doctoral researcher, Northern Arizona University

Media interested in asking questions of the participants via telephone during
the televised update should contact Trent Perrotto at 202-358-0321 or
trent.j.perrrotto at nasa.gov by noon Thursday.

Media and the public also can ask questions during event on Twitter using the
hashtag #AskNASA.

Media interested in covering the June 19 and 20 grand challenge virtual
workshop should contact Sarah Ramsey at 202-358-1694 or sarah.ramsey at nasa.gov
by 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 18.

NASA's Asteroid Initiative comprises the Asteroid Redirect Mission and
Asteroid Grand Challenge. Through the redirect mission, NASA will test new
systems and capabilities needed to support future human missions to Mars. The
grand challenge seeks the best ideas to find all asteroid threats to human
populations and accelerate the work NASA already is doing for planetary
defense.

For more information on the Asteroid Initiative and grand challenge virtual
workshop, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/asteroidinitiative

-end-

Trent J. Perrotto
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0321
trent.j.perrotto at nasa.gov

Sarah Ramsey
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1694
sarah.ramsey at nasa.gov
Received on Mon 16 Jun 2014 01:08:17 PM PDT