Even when most of my narrative conflict is on a planet’s surface, it’s not a bad idea to keep an eye on the stars.
The same is true for real-life humans on Earth today. So what does present-day space observation look like?
Rather watch a video?
Check out the YouTube version of this blog post.
First things first: I won’t be using the term UFOs. Those objects no longer exist. Or, I guess you could say they got a rebrand. Astronomers on the lookout for the unknown deal in Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena or UAP.
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)
One of the major US government entities in charge of UAP analysis is the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). They define Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena as airborne objects or transmedium objects or devices that are not immediately identifiable.
Unidentified submerged objects that appear to be related to unidentified airborne or transmedium objects also count as UAP.
While it is their job to look, the AARO is very clear: They have not found any evidence of any extraterrestrial technology. …yet. According to their official website, they use rigorous scientific methods and intend to follow the science wherever it leads. At this point, though, the science doesn’t lead very far.
According to an unclassified report from October 2023, there were over 200 UAP sightings reported in accordance with Department of Defense directives. While a handful of these UAP showed concerning behavior, such as high-speed travel or unusual maneuverability, they were ruled out as “”alien.” And, alien or not, no health or safety concerns were noted by the authors of the report.
So how does the AARO learn about the sightings that they investigate? Most sightings are reported as being seen over US airspace–by military staff, and some commercial pilots. With no civilian or foreign sightings to analyze, the data on UAPs is somewhat limited, but this type of exploration is ongoing, so the process for reporting and analyzing these phenomena will likely evolve over time.
Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)
To put it simply, near-Earth objects, or NEOs, are asteroids or comets that get close to Earth. For the most part, the everyday person doesn’t notice NEOs because many of them burn up in the atmosphere or are too small to cause damage. NEOs that have the potential to cause damage are rare, but they could be catastrophic if not detected.
Accordingly, several initiatives to discover NEOs are dedicated to cataloging NEOs larger than 140 meters. They include:
Catalina Sky Survey (CSS),
Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS), and
Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR).
ATLAS, in particular, consists of four telescopes, which automatically scan the whole sky several times every night looking for moving objects. When it detects an asteroid, it gives a warning time of several days to several weeks–depending on how large the asteroid is.
Similarly, the Pan-STARRS1 Telescope and camera, which is responsible for half of the identified NEOs, takes four exposures of a given patch of the night sky per hour. Then, it compares the four images to identify anything that had changed during that time.
Once one of these initiatives detects an NEO, the object is tracked. It is, then, characterized to determine spin rate, composition, and physical properties. This analysis helps astronomers determine whether the asteroid is a potential threat.
Planetary Defense
Realistically, much of this extraplanetary “curiosity” is in the interest of planetary defense. The AARO is a division of the Department of Defense and the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program is part of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
Fair enough.
So once scientists determine that an NEO will make impact, what asteroid defense strategies exist? Well, that’s complicated… and mostly theoretical at this point.
According to the European Space Agency, most of the proposed defensive techniques are designed to alter the trajectory of an asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth. Based on existing and affordable spacecraft technology, something called the kinetic impactor is the most viable defensive solution right now. This method changes an asteroid’s orbit via direct hit by a spacecraft at high speed.
Luckily, there are currently no NEOs expected to impact in the near future, so we have time before we need to have this fully figured out. In the meantime, sci-fi writers can use these ideas as a jumping point for space-to-planet conflict.
Until next time, stay curious.
Comments