This method can be used for testing and improvement of detection systems searching for small planets (Near-Earth Objects) and space debris.

Description in brief

The invention would be useful for research experiments concerning problems of space debris and meteoric danger, for improvement of NEO-search efforts.

To get a precise orbit of NEO all must be factored in – its shape and spin, its composition and surface markings, what it is made of, and other attributes. All this must be deduced from the meager pinpoints of reflected rays. An important circumstance here that these small planets have bizarre surface patterns. During their lifetime they suffered numerous collisions, thus their forms are significantly non-spherical and extremely poached. Due to their fanciful configurations these rotating splinters re-radiate solar energy non-uniformly. A case in point: The brightness of the Kuiper Belt Object 1998 SM165 varies by approximately 50% over a period of four hours. This potatolike shape (600 x 360 km) revolves every 8 hrs, pointing alternately its broad and narrow aspects toward Earth. Researchers suspect that the shine of some asteroids varies because they are actually double asteroids. For example, the binary object 1999 KW4 is known to be an asteroid-moon pair, one space rock orbiting another at a distance of 1.5 km. Moreover, many of observed objects are expected to be less like solid rocks and more like loosely bound "rubble piles".

Such a surprisingly variety of kinematic and optical characteristics impedes attempts to gain more specific data about potentially threatening objects, and requires precise calibration of monitoring systems. Additional research is necessary to accomplish this, and trial experiments with artificial "test asteroids" are in the pipeline.

In Russia recently patented "a method of presentation of visual effects on the celestial sphere"(patent RU 2166803), where Irregular Reflecting Surfaces (or IRS) would be deployed in near-earth space and set to spin. Rotation of IRS allows to imitate reflection of waves from slightly revolving formless NEOs (or debris fragments). This could provide the necessary test objects to simulate asteroids and splinters of space debris. As the positions and characteristics of IRS objects would be known exactly they could allow us to precisely determine how effectively ground and near-earth tracking systems can determine their parameters by observation. In turn this should enable these instruments to be made more accurate and to measure the size, shape, composition, and movement of asteroids with substantially reduced margins of error.

IRS designs could be bulky to adequately mimic real asteroids and need to be unfolded or inflated once in space. Experience gained by the military in the design of balloons to simulate mock warheads could be beneficially applied to this objective.

The casting of doubles of "wandering stars" as stand-ins for real asteroids would be an invaluable aid to the design, calibration, and evaluation of systems slated to "shoot" them. Then for tellurians they could be transformed from horrific hazards in the spaceways to signalling beacons warning of their potential threat and giving us an opportunity to avoid the catastrophic scenario.

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