Welcome to the
Earth-Crossing Asteroid
Web Pages
Scott Hudson
Washington State University
The primary purpose of these pages
is to describe and present results from NASA-sponsored
research on the physical modeling of Earth-crossing asteroids using radar
and optical data. However, because it's interesting to put that effort
into a larger context, I've also included a few additional pages describing
the "why" and "how" of it all. Hopefully these web pages will have
some value as an educational resource.
In addition to this introduction,
the main menu has three sections:
WHY do people study asteroids?
Probably the most "glamorous" reason is the impact hazard that these objects
pose to Earth. But there are other important reasons such as their
mineral resources and what they can tell us about the formation of the
solar system.
HOW do people study asteroids?
The oldest and most common method is with optical telescopes. In
some cases it is possible to use other techniques such as radar.
The most powerful technique is to send a spacecraft.
WHAT have we learned from this
research program? This section focuses on the results of my particular
research. Results for specific asteroids are presented.