Donald K. Yeomans

Of all the natural disasters that could befall us, only an Earth impact by a large comet or asteroid has the potential to end civilization in a single blow. Yet these near-Earth objects also offer tantalizing clues to our solar system's origins, and someday could even serve as stepping-stones for space exploration. In this book, Donald Yeomans introduces readers to the science of near-Earth objects--its history, applications, and ongoing quest to find near-Earth objects before they find us. In its course around the sun, the Earth passes through a veritable shooting gallery of millions of nearby comets and asteroids. One such asteroid is thought to have plunged into our planet sixty-five million years ago, triggering a global catastrophe that killed off the dinosaurs. Yeomans provides an up-to-date and accessible guide for understanding the threats posed by near-Earth objects, and also explains how early collisions with them delivered the ingredients that made life on Earth possible. He shows how later impacts spurred evolution, allowing only the most adaptable species to thrive--in fact, we humans may owe our very existence to objects that struck our planet. Yeomans takes readers behind the scenes of today's efforts to find, track, and study near-Earth objects. He shows how the same comets and asteroids most likely to collide with us could also be mined for precious natural resources like water and oxygen, and used as watering holes and fueling stations for expeditions to Mars and the outermost reaches of our solar system.

Kaikista meitä uhkaavista luonnonkatastrofeista ainoastaan komeetan tai asteroidin törmäys voi tehdä lopun koko sivilisaatiostamme yhdellä iskulla. Donald K. Yeomans tutustuttaa lukijan käynnissä olevaan etsintään, jossa mahdollisesti meitä uhkaavat kappaleet yritetään löytää ennen kuin ne löytävät meidät. Arvioiden mukaan Maalle tuhoisia lähiavaruuden pienkappaleita on n. 500 000 ja vain 1 % niistä on toistaiseksi löydetty. Nämä lähiavaruuden pienkappaleet tarjoavat meille myös vihjeitä aurinkokuntamme alkuperästä. Yeomans selittää miten varhaiset törmäykset Maahan toivat tänne alkuaineita, jotka tekivät elämän mahdolliseksi. On mahdollista, että ihmiskunta saa kiittää olemassaolostaan Maahan rysähtäneitä kappaleita. Samoilta asteroideilla, voidaan saada tärkeitä luonnonvaroja, kuten vettä ja happea. Asteroideja voidaankin mahdollisesti käyttää tankkausasemina Marsiin ja kauemmas aurinkokuntaan suuntautuvilla matkoilla. Donald K. Yeomans on Nasan Jet Propulsion Laboratoryn tutkija. Hän johtaa Nasan lähiavaruuden kappaleita tutkivaa toimistoa (Near-Earth Object Program Office) ja aurinkokunnan dynamiikkaa tutkivaa ryhmää (Solar System Dynamics Group). Yeomans kuuluu Time-lehden mukaan maailman 100 vaikutusvaltaisimman ihmisen joukkoon vuonna 2013.

Of all the natural disasters that could befall us, only an Earth impact by a large comet or asteroid has the potential to end civilization in a single blow. Yet these near-Earth objects also offer tantalizing clues to our solar system's origins, and someday could even serve as stepping-stones for space exploration. In this book, Donald Yeomans introduces readers to the science of near-Earth objects--its history, applications, and ongoing quest to find near-Earth objects before they find us. In its course around the sun, the Earth passes through a veritable shooting gallery of millions of nearby comets and asteroids. One such asteroid is thought to have plunged into our planet sixty-five million years ago, triggering a global catastrophe that killed off the dinosaurs. Yeomans provides an up-to-date and accessible guide for understanding the threats posed by near-Earth objects, and also explains how early collisions with them delivered the ingredients that made life on Earth possible. He shows how later impacts spurred evolution, allowing only the most adaptable species to thrive--in fact, we humans may owe our very existence to objects that struck our planet. Yeomans takes readers behind the scenes of today's efforts to find, track, and study near-Earth objects. He shows how the same comets and asteroids most likely to collide with us could also be mined for precious natural resources like water and oxygen, and used as watering holes and fueling stations for expeditions to Mars and the outermost reaches of our solar system.