Introduction a primary reason for the study of the near-earth object (NEO) population is to determine the potential impact hazard for individual objects as well as the population as a whole. Such…

This federal contract award was granted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center to Moredata!, Inc., a for-profit organization, in the amount of $620,000.00. The contract is for research to obtain a large number of near-Earth object (NEO) lightcurves and other physical characteristics, as well as analysis of the NEO population size distribution. This work aligns with specific elements of NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations (NEOO) program objectives. The contract does not have a set-aside designation and was awarded on April 30, 2018, with a completion date of April 29, 2021.

Introduction a primary reason for the study of the near-earth object (NEO) population is to determine the potential impact hazard for individual objects as well as the population as a whole. Such analysis requires understanding physical characteristics beyond size and raw population numbers. Chief among these are rotation rate and spin axis alignment, though others can be easily obtained with even modest telescopes. Recent efforts concentrating on the discovery and orbital determination of very small neos directly address stated neoo objectives, which also include the characterization (rotation rate, taxonomy, etc.) of a representative sample of neos. We take this to mean not just the smallest members of the NEO population or those that make very close earth-encounters within a few decades. The best understanding of neos requires giving context to individual results by developing a larger population sample that includes larger neos that may or may not be suitable for a mission. Goals and objectives asteroid photometry our first goal is to obtain a large number of NEO lightcurves and, when possible, h-g parameters, color indices, and shape/spin axis models to help paint a broader picture. First priority will be given to objects of highest interest: potential mission targets or impactors. While we are mindful of theoretical interpretations of our observations, our main thrust will be open and immediate access to our results to allow others to engage in interpreting them as well. We will provide the raw data and initial analysis, e.g., rotation periods and analysis of rotation rate statistics, which are required for those working on a full characterization of the NEA population. We will not work in isolation but will coordinate our efforts with other observers, in particular, with the radar teams working out of arecibo and goldstone. Hand-in-hand with these efforts will be continued maintenance of the asteroid lightcurve database (lcdb; warner ET AL.; 2009). The lcdb is one of the more widely-used databases in asteroid research. At almost any asteroid-related meeting, several posters or presentations have plots based on lcdb data or used the data for ongoing research. We will continue to maintain, develop, and enhance the asteroid lightcurve data exchange format (alcdef) database, which now holds more than 2.8 million raw asteroid photometric measurements. These data have been, and will continue to be, essential to those working on asteroid shape/spin axis modeling. Both of these databases will be migrated to the NASA PDS on a regular basis. NEO population analysis CO-i alan harris will continue his work on the NEA population in terms of size distribution and the effectiveness of current and soonto- be large survey efforts to meet the NASA discovery requirements. Recent work by others indicates previous analyses may have been tainted by incorrect size estimates. CO-i harris will explore the extent and effect of the changes in size estimates and provide one or more updates to his previous work on the NEA population size distribution. Methodology for asteroid photometry work, we will employ a cadre of up to ten telescopes (0.3-0.7 m) at our observatory complex in landers, CA, which averages 275-300 usable nights a year. The robotic operations can be conducted from anywhere there is internet access. Data measurement and analysis will be done with readily available commercial software. We will publish our analysis and data quarterly, if not more frequently. This pipeline produced more than 500 NEA lightcurves over four years starting in mid-2013. We expect to maintain that pace. Program relevance the proposed photometry and characterization of NEO members as well as analysis of the NEO population size distribution address specific elements of the neoo program. This makes our proposal both compliant and relevant to the c.6 SSO/neoo program and objectives.