Raytheon and the National Science Foundation Radio Astronomy Facilities to Detect Dusty Asteroids in Space
March 4, 2020 | Raytheon CompanyEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Raytheon Company, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the Green Bank Observatory entered a cooperative research and development agreement to detect and characterize near-earth asteroids large enough to cause significant damage.
The Raytheon-NRAO/GBO collaboration will integrate a radar transmitter into the Green Bank Telescope and use the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array as a receiver to provide a very detailed radar image. The GBT and the VLBA will each point at the same celestial body, such as the moon, to conduct radar experiments. This approach increases the probability of detection and characterization of objects out to the orbit of Jupiter and possibly farther. To put this in perspective, objects around Mars are hard to detect, and Jupiter is hundreds of millions of miles farther than that.
"Very energetic dusty asteroids—we're talking from several hundred feet to miles in size—don't reflect sunlight very well, and that makes them incredibly difficult, if not impossible to detect in our solar system," said Art Morrish, vice president, Raytheon Advanced Concepts & Technologies. "We're collaborating with the NRAO to combine radio astronomy and radar techniques to bring new capabilities to the astronomical community to solve problems like this."
"Using the radio astronomy facilities of the National Science Foundation in these new research areas is incredibly exciting," said Tony Beasley, director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Associated Universities Inc. vice president for Radio Astronomy Operations. "This partnership between Raytheon and NRAO/GBO is one of several promising research and technology collaborations we're exploring that may greatly benefit our next-generation Very Large Array project."
The NRAO and the GBO are facilities of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
Suggested Items
Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 8% in 2024
04/17/2024 | Gartner, Inc.Worldwide IT spending is expected to total $5.06 trillion in 2024, an increase of 8% from 2023, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. This is an increase from the previous quarter’s forecast of 6.8% growth and puts worldwide IT spending on track to surpass $8 trillion well before the end of the decade.
Argonne, RIKEN Sign a Memorandum of Understanding in Support of AI for Science
04/16/2024 | BUSINESS WIRELeaders in high performance computing in the U.S. and Japan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) establishing a cooperative relationship in support of artificial intelligence (AI) computing projects.
RAICo Fellowship to Widen Participation Within the Field of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
04/12/2024 | RAICoWOMEN and those early in their academia career who are passionate about robotics and artificial intelligence are encouraged to apply for a RAICo Fellowship.
Indium to Host Free Webinar on Lead-Free Solder Paste for Automotive Applications
04/09/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation’s Senior Research Metallurgist, Jie Geng, Ph.D., will conduct a webinar on low-voiding, high-reliability, lead-free solder paste for automotive applications.
SMTA Announces Program for High Reliability: Strategic Technology Advancement Research Forum
04/08/2024 | SMTAThe SMTA announced the finalized program for the High Reliability: Strategic Technology Advancement Research Forum which takes place on May 2, 2024 in Olathe, Kansas, USA. The event, now in its second year, addresses challenges for electronics manufacturers in the high reliability sector.