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Special Issue on Advances in Asteroid and Space Debris Science and Technology 

Papers are invited for a special topic issue of Advances in Space Research(ASR) entitled “Advances in Asteroid and Space Debris Science and Technology”

Asteroids and space debris represent a significant hazard for space and terrestrial assets; at the same time asteroids represent also an opportunity. In recent years it has become clear that the increasing population of space debris could lead to catastrophic consequences in the near term. The Kessler syndrome (where the density of objects in orbit is high enough that collisions could set off a cascade) is more realistic than when it was first proposed in 1978. Although statistically less likely to occur, an asteroid impact would have devastating consequences for our planet. Although an impact with a large (~10 km) to medium (~300 m) sized, or diameter, asteroid is unlikely, it is not negligible as the recent case of the asteroid Apophis has demonstrated. Furthermore impacts with smaller size objects, between 10 m to 100 m diameter, are expected to occur more frequently and hence are, proportionally, equally dangerous for humans and assets on Earth and in space.


Asteroids and space debris share a number of commonalities: both are uncontrolled objects whose orbit is deeply affected by a number of perturbations, both have an irregular shape and an uncertain attitude motion, both are made of inhomogeneous materials that can respond unexpectedly to a deflection action, for both, accurate orbit determination is required, both need to be removed before they impact with something valuable for us. The desirable life cycle for both asteroids and space debris demonstrates that a number of underpinning technologies needs to be developed to mitigate the risk posed by both types of objects: observation, orbit determination, state estimation techniques are required to discover, identify, track and monitor both debris and asteroids. Impact prediction is required to inform decision makers and derive actions and requirements. Some form of manipulation, removal or deflection technologies/ strategies need to be developed and implemented and finally one can think of exploiting asteroids and needs to think of the consequences of disposing space debris (like the re-entry of large objects). The observation, manipulation and disposal of space debris represent one of the most challenging goals for modern space technology. It represents a key scientific and commercial venture for the future in order to protect the space environment for essential telecommunication, navigation and Earth observation services.


In order to address these issues, both ESA and the European Commission have created dedicated programs, like the Space Situational Awareness programme of ESA, or have invested significant funding to start new medium to long term research projects. This is part of a global effort that has seen other governments and organizations, in particular in the USA and Japan, initiating programs and initiatives aimed at resolving the asteroid and space debris issue. Among the recent projects supported by the European Commission, Stardust is a 4 year EU-wide programme, funded by the FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN) scheme, which will train the next generation of engineers, scientists and decision makers to turn the threat represented by asteroids and space debris in an opportunity. Stardust will integrate multiple disciplines, from robotics, to applied mathematics, from computational intelligence to astrodynamics, to find practical and effective solutions to the asteroid and space debris issue


 This special issue is intended to be a forum open to everyone who has an interest in discussing the most recent advances in one or more of the following areas of research that represent the backbone of the Stardust programme:
  • Modelling of orbital and attitude dynamics of asteroids and space debris.
  • Long term orbit and attitude evolution
  • Particle cloud modelling and simulation
  • Collision and impact modelling and simulation
  • Re-entry modelling and simulation
  • Asteroid origins and characterization
  • Orbit and attitude determination
  • Impact prediction and risk analysis
  • Mission analysis
  • Proximity operations
  • Active removal/deflection control under uncertainty
  • Active removal/deflection technologies
  • Space robotics for asteroid manipulation and debris removal
  • Papers on the results of every national and international programme and initiative aimed at asteroids and space debris are encouraged.


Papers must be submitted electronically through the EES/Elsevier Web system. To ensure that all manuscripts are correctly identified for inclusion into the Special Issue, authors must select “Special Issue: Asteroids & Space Debris”, when they reach the “Article Type” step in the submission process.


Submitted papers must be written in English and should indicate full affiliation addresses for all authors. All manuscripts will be subject to a standard peer-review process by at least two independent reviewers. There is no page limit, but the length of the paper should be appropriate to the scientific material being presented. Manuscripts should follow the general format used in ASR.


The deadline for submission is 15 September 2014. Manuscripts will be accepted on a paper-by-paper basis and available on-line with a DOI a few days after acceptance. Contributors to this issue will have an opportunity to purchase individual issues once the issue is finalized. All articles will be typeset at no cost to the author, while a nominal fee will be charged to the authors for color figures in print, but not in the electronic version. Papers on the results of every national and international programme and initiative aimed at asteroids and space debris are encouraged. Papers must be submitted electronically through the EES/Elsevier Web system. To ensure that all manuscripts are correctly identified for inclusion into the Special Issue, authors must select “Special Issue: Asteroids & Space Debris”, when they reach the “Article Type” step in the submission process. Submitted papers must be written in English and should indicate full affiliation addresses for all authors. All manuscripts will be subject to a standard peer-review process by at least two independent reviewers. There is no page limit, but the length of the paper should be appropriate to the scientific material being presented. Manuscripts should follow the general format used in ASR. The deadline for submission is 15 September 2014.  Manuscripts will be accepted on a paper-by-paper basis and available on-line with a DOI a few days after acceptance. Contributors to this issue will have an opportunity to purchase individual issues once the issue is finalized. All articles will be typeset at no cost to the author, while a nominal fee will be charged to the authors for color figures in print, but not in the electronic version. Prof Massimiliano Vasile is the Guest Editor for this Special Issue. Authors will be regularly informed on the progress of this Special Issue by email until its final publication. Questions can be directed to Prof. Massimiliano Vasile (massimiliano.vasile@strath.ac.uk) or to the Co-Editor for Special Issues, Dr Peggy Ann Shea. The pre-submission questions regarding topics-of-interest can also be directed to stardust@strath.ac.uk.


 
 
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