NEOWISE Achieves a Decade of Asteroid and Comet Surveillance from Space

NEOWISE Achieves a Decade of Asteroid and Comet Surveillance from Space
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 05, 2024

Marking a significant milestone, NASA's NEOWISE mission has unveiled its tenth year of data collection, showcasing an ongoing infrared survey that sheds light on the dynamic changes of celestial bodies over extended periods. This survey, pivotal in the realm of time-domain astronomy, aids in observing the fluctuation in brightness of distant stars and the activities of remote black holes. Specifically, NEOWISE zeroes in on the solar system's vicinity, concentrating on asteroids and comets within our cosmic neighborhood.

NEOWISE, an acronym for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, plays a crucial role in NASA's planetary defense initiatives, enhancing the precision of orbital predictions and size assessments for comets and asteroids. This includes monitoring notable space rocks like the asteroid Apophis, anticipated to closely approach Earth in 2029.

Since its deployment in low-Earth orbit, NEOWISE has accumulated over 1.45 million infrared observations of more than 44,000 objects within our solar system, including over 3,000 near-Earth objects (NEOs) and the discovery of 215 new celestial bodies, 25 of which are comets such as the renowned comet NEOWISE.

Amy Mainzer, the principal investigator for NEOWISE, emphasized the mission's crucial contribution to identifying NEOs potentially hazardous to Earth, stating that the freely available data from NEOWISE will continue to benefit the scientific community for years to come.

Managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the mission consistently transmits data to the U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, eventually processed into calibrated images by the IPAC at Caltech. This processed data aids scientists in tracking the movements of asteroids and comets, significantly contributing to the field of planetary science.

Roc Cutri, leading the NEOWISE Science Data System at IPAC, highlighted the thrill of exploring uncharted territories with the mission's data, pointing to the possibility of new discoveries in infrared astronomy.

Looking ahead, IPAC is set to support NASA's NEO Surveyor mission, aiming for a 2027 launch. Under Mainzer's leadership, this future mission seeks to identify elusive near-Earth objects that are difficult to detect due to their low reflectivity of visible light but are more observable in infrared.

Originally launched as WISE in 2009 for a comprehensive sky survey, the spacecraft was repurposed as NEOWISE in 2014 to focus on tracking asteroids and comets. Joseph Masiero, the deputy principal investigator, reflected on the mission's unexpected longevity and its impact on our understanding of the universe.

As NEOWISE approaches the end of its operational life due to solar-induced orbital decay, project manager Joseph Hunt acknowledged the mission's success beyond its intended lifespan. The spacecraft is projected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and disintegrate, with the timing influenced by solar activity.