NEO Observations Program

Pan-STARRS PS1 Observatory

The Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program is a key element of NASA’s Planetary Defense Program, funding efforts to search for undiscovered NEOs using observatories around the world, calculate and refine NEO orbits, determine NEO physical properties and composition, and study NEO deflection and mitigation technologies. To achieve these objectives, the NEO Observations Program issues annual solicitations for proposals through NASA’s Yearly Opportunities for Research in Planetary Defense (YORPD) element of the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES) solicitation. Major activities currently funded by the NEO Observations program include:

Initiatives to Discover New NEOs

Catalina Sky Survey (CSS)

Catalina Sky Survey

University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey (CSS)

Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System

Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System

University of Hawaii's Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS)

PANStarrs

Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System

University of Hawaii's Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS)

LINEAR telescope at MIT

Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research

Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR)

Efforts to Follow Up on NEO Discoveries and Determine NEO Physical Properties

Infrared Telescope Picture

Infrared Telescope Facility

NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF)

This artist concept shows the NASA WISE spacecraft, in its orbit around Earth. In September of 2013, engineers will attempt to bring the mission out of hibernation to hunt for more asteroids and comets in a project called NEOWISE.

NEOWISE Telescope

NASA's NEOWISE Telescope

Image of multiple asteroids

Planetary Radar Group

NASA JPL's Planetary Radar Group

Astronomical Research Institute Telescope

Astronomical Research Institute

Astronomical Research Institute

Goldstone Radar

Goldstone Solar System Radar

Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR)

Lowell Observatory

Mission Accessible Near-Earth Objects Survey

Lowell Observatory's Mission Accessible Near-Earth Objects Survey (MANOS)

Magdalena Ridge Observatory

Magdalena Ridge Observatory

New Mexico Tech's Magdalena Ridge Observatory

University of Arizona's Spacewatch

Spacewatch

University of Arizona's Spacewatch

Antarctic Search for Meteorites

Antarctic Search for Meteorites

Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET)

Entities to Collect NEO Positional Measurements and to Predict and Calculate NEO Orbits

Minor Planet Center pic of asteroid

Minor Planet Center

Minor Planet Center (MPC)

Asteroid

Planetary Data System Small Bodies Node

The MPC Annex at NASA's Planetary Data System Small Bodies Node

image of Bennu

Center for Near-Earth Object Studies

NASA JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS)

Research on Asteroid Impact Mitigation

image of a globe and a meteor

Asteroid Threat Assessment Project

NASA Ames' Asteroid Threat Assessment Project (ATAP)

Citizen Science

The International Astronomical Search Collaboration is a citizen science program that provides high-quality astronomical data to citizen scientists around the world.

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Children from Nigeria in the Space Surfers Program