Design Parameters and Efficiency of a Space System
for Warning about Small Celestial Bodies Approaching
the Earth along Collision Trajectories
V. A. Emelyanov, Yu. K. Merkushev
Central Research Institute for Machine Building, Korolev, Moscow region, Russia
Abstract:
The space-based system would operate in two modes:
— automatic near-Earth space surveillance,
— tracking of an earlier detected hazardous celestial body (HCB) for synchronous-basic position measurements.
The space telescopes (ST) would be placed
at a long distance (such as 5 · 107 km) from the Earth
to provide for detecting small (100 m) celestial bodies when they are moving
to the Earth from the sunward direction. Also space telescopes would be
deployed at a long distance (such as 5 · 107 km) from each other. This would
result in a radical increase of synchronous-basic measurements on a small
orbit arc. When the system operates in the first mode the narrow rotating
telescopic fields of view form the barrier zone (BZ) of reliable detection
of HCB before they impact Earth. The optimal version for development of
this system was selected. The long-duration (up to 365 days) simulation
modeling capture of a HCB by ST have been carried out. Apophis and three
other groups of HCBs in orbits with their aphelion distances similar to
the semi-major axes of Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto orbits were considered.
Key words:
Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), Near Earth Objects (NEOs), warning about small selestial bodies, collision trajectories, space-based system, automatic near-Earth space surveillance, hazardous celestial body (HCB), synchronous-basic position measurements, space telescopes (ST), the sunward direction, small orbit arc, barrier zone (BZ) of reliable detection of HCB, simulation modeling capture of a HCB by ST, Apophis, aphelion distances, semi-major orbit axes, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto.