Scientific goal and objectives: the scientific objective of this observing program is to characterize the material properties of near earth objects (NEO) and the main belt asteroid families that…

This is a grant award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the SETI Institute, a non-profit scientific organization, to characterize the material properties of near-Earth objects (NEOs) and main belt asteroids and develop technology to scale up the measurement of pre-atmospheric orbits of meteorite falls. The goal is to compare the orbital elements of different meteorite types to dynamical models of the orbital evolution of small asteroids, in order to statistically determine the likelihood that a meteorite originates from a given asteroid family. The work involves deploying a network of desert fireball cameras in the United States, developing telescopic camera systems to track fireball fragments, and advancing the use of drones and deep learning algorithms to help locate and recover meteorites. This $469,332 grant does not have a set-aside designation and is within the scope of SETI Institute's expertise in planetary science, astrobiology, and space mission support for NASA.

Scientific goal and objectives: the scientific objective of this observing program is to characterize the material properties of near earth objects (NEO) and the main belt asteroid families that they trace back to. The goal is to develop the technology needed to greatly scale up the measurement of pre-atmospheric orbits of meteorite falls. The resulting orbital elements for different meteorite types will be compared to dynamical models of the orbital evolution of small (10-300 CM sized) asteroids from main belt to NEO orbits, in order to statistically determine the likelihood that a meteorite originates from a given asteroid family. Methods: a significant number of desert fireball network cameras are available for deployment in the arid regions of the united states from the australian partner of NASA's servii program. These are modified digital still cameras with all-sky objectives and a liquid crystal shutter that have proven to generate superior fireball trajectories and orbits. Support is requested to deploy and manage this network in the united states. In order to greatly scale up the recovery of meteorites from such networks, camera systems will be developed and designed to function in association with the desert fireball network cameras that can track the fireball fragments to the ground and help find meteorites in the local terrain. Specifically, a telescopic camera system will be developed that rapidly slews to the meteor and records both star background and meteor fragments at high frame rate. That data will be triangulated and meteorite impact locations on the ground calculated. The technology for finding meteorites using drones equipped with deep-learning algorithms will be further developed. Relevance: the proposed work is to conduct a program of ground-based astronomical observations that contributes to understanding the nature and evolution of small 0.1-3M sized near earth objects. The proposed work is the most direct approach possible, short of sample return from known asteroids, to identify what meteorites sample near earth objects that evolved from the same source regions.