It is known that large asteroids and comets can collide with the Earth with severe consequences. Although the chances of a collision in a person's lifetime are small, collisions are a random process and could occur at any time. This book, which was first published in 2004, collects the latest thoughts and ideas of scientists concerned with mitigating the threat of hazardous asteroids and comets. It reviews knowledge of the population of potential colliders, including their numbers, locations, orbits, and how warning times might be improved. The structural properties and composition of their interiors and surfaces are reviewed, and their orbital response to the application of pulses of energy is discussed. Difficulties of operating in space near, or on the surface of, very low mass objects are examined. The book concludes with a discussion of the problems faced in communicating the nature of the impact hazard to the public.

Reviews thinking of scientists concerned with mitigating the threat of hazardous asteroids and comets.

About the Author
Michael Belton is Emeritus Astronomer at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, Arizona, and President of Belton Space Exploration Initiatives, LLC. Thomas Morgan is a Discipline Scientist in the Office of Space Science at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, District of Columbia. Nalin Samarasinha is an Assistant Scientist at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, Arizona. Donald Yeomans manages NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office and JPL's Solar System Dynamics Group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.

Reviews
"The book is an excellent compendium of current knowledge of near-Earth objects." EOS-Transactions, AGU



Book Information
ISBN 9780521827645
Author Michael J. S. Belton
Format Hardback
Page Count 438
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 1045g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 24mm