Design of a Formation of Solar Pumped Lasers for Asteroid Deflection

This paper presents the design of a multi-spacecraft system for the deflection of asteroids. Each spacecraft is equipped with a fibre laser and a solar concentrator. The laser induces the sublimation of a portion of the surface of the asteroid. The jet of gas and debris thrusts the asteroid off its natural course. The main idea is to have a swarm of spacecraft flying in the proximity of the asteroid with all the spacecraft beaming to the same location to achieve the required deflection thrust. The paper presents the design of the formation orbits and the multi-objective optimization of the swarm in order to minimize the total mass in space and maximize the deflection of the asteroid. The paper demonstrates how significant deflections can be obtained with relatively small sized, easy-to-control spacecraft.Comment: Advances in Space Research, 201

On the deflection of asteroids with mirrors

This paper presents an analysis of an asteroid deflection method based on multiple solar concentrators. A model of the deflection through the sublimation of the surface material of an asteroid is presented, with simulation results showing the achievable orbital deflection with, and without, accounting for the effects of mirror contamination due to the ejected debris plume. A second model with simulation results is presented analyzing an enhancement of the Yarkovsky effect, which provides a significant deflection even when the surface temperature is not high enough to sublimate. Finally the dynamical model of solar concentrators in the proximity of an irregular celestial body are discussed, together with a Lyapunov-based controller to maintain the spacecraft concentrators at a required distance from the asteroid

Temperature History and Dynamical Evolution of (101955) 1999 RQ 36: A Potential Target for Sample Return from a Primitive Asteroid

International audienc

Orbital and thermal evolutions of four potential targets for a sample return space mission to a primitive near-Earth asteroid

International audienc

Organic Solids in Comets: the examples of C/2000 WM_1 (LINEAR) and C/2001 Q_4 (NEAT)

Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana Supplement, 6, p. 157International audienc

Albedo and size determination of potentially hazardous asteroids: (99942) Apophis

Icarus, 188, pp. 266-269, http://dx.doi.org./10.1016/j.icarus.2006.12.024International audienc

Temperature Stress at the Surface of Near-Earth Asteroids

Meteoritics and Planetary Science Supplement, 72, p. 5272 (2009)International audienc

On the detection of the Yarkovsky effect on near-Earth asteroids by means of Gaia

Planetary and Space Science, 56, pp. 1823-1827, http://dx.doi.org./10.1016/j.pss..02.029International audienc