Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T10:01:06.353Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reasons for not Having an Early Asteroid Mission

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Edward Anders
Edward Anders*
Affiliation:
University of Chicago

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Let me first emphasize the area of agreement with Professor Alfvén. I, too, believe that the asteroids are of very great scientific interest; great enough to justify space missions some day. What we differ on is the timing and target selection for these missions (Alfvén and Arrhenius, 1970, and in this volume). I look upon space missions as a tremendously expensive way of obtaining scientific data, which should not be attempted until all available alternatives are exhausted. Ground-based research on asteroids and meteorites is nowhere near exhaustion; on the contrary, it is moving at an impressive pace. If we maintain this pace for another decade or two, we will not only have answered most of the questions posed for an early mission, but will be able to come up with a more worthwhile, more informative mission.

Type
Part III-Possible Space Missions and Future Work
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 12: Physical Studies of Minor Planets , 1971 , pp. 479 - 487
Copyright
Copyright © NASA 1971

References

Alfvén, H., and Arrhenius, G. 1970, Mission to an Asteroid. Science 167,139–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anders, E. 1965, Fragmentation History of Asteroids.Icarus 4, 399–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anders, E. 1971, Meteorites and the Early Solar System. Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 9, 1–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnold,, J. R. 1965, The Origin of Meteorites as Small Bodies. II. The Model. Astrophys. J. 141, 1536–1547.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhandari, N. 1969, On Orbital Velocities of Some Stone Meteorites. Paper presented at the Cosmic Ray Conf. (Delhi).Google Scholar
Gehrels, T. 1970, Photometry of Asteroids. Surfaces and Interiors of Planets and Satellites(ed.,Dollfus, A. ), p. 319. Academic Press, Inc. New York.Google Scholar
Levin, B. Yu., and Simonenko, A. N. 1969, Meteorite Radiants and Orbits. Meteorite Research (ed.,Millman, P. M.), ch. 46, pp. 552–558. D. Reidel. Dordrecht.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowrey, B. E. 1970, Orbital Evolution of Lost City Meteorite. GSFC preprint X–644–70–444.Google Scholar
McCord, T. B., Adams, J. B., and Johnson, T. V. 1970, Asteroid Vesta: Spectral Reflectivity and Compositional Implications. Science 168, 1445–1447.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Millman, P. M. 1969, Astronomical Information on Meteorite Orbits. Meteorite Research(ed.,Millman, P. M. ), ch. 45, pp. 541–551. D. Reidel. Dordrecht.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Öpik, E. J. 1963, Survival of Comet Nuclei and the Asteroids. Advances in Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 (ed.,Kopal, Z. ), pp. 219–262. Academic Press, Inc.New York.Google Scholar
Wänke, H. 1966, Der Mond als Mutterkörper der Bronzit-Chondrite.Z. Naturforsch. A 21, 93–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wetherill, G. W. 1968, Dynamical Studies of Asteroidal and Cometary Orbits and Their Relation to the Origin of Meteorites. Origin and Distribution of the Elements (ed.,Ahrens, L.H. ), pp. 423–443. Pergamon Press. Oxford.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wetherill, G. W. 1969, Relationships Between Orbits and Sources of Chondritic Meteorites. Meteorite Research (ed.,Millman, P. M. ), ch. 48, pp. 573–589. D. Reidel.Dordrecht.CrossRefGoogle Scholar