DISCOVER AND DETECT
TELESCOPE: The NEOCam's
infrared telescope has a
mirror with a 50 cm
diameter, which can see
asteroids and comets
as small as 30 m.SUNSHADE: The telescope's electronic
components must have a permanent
temperature of about -243 °C to function
correctly. Instead of a heavy, energy
consuming cooling system, the NEOCam
has a sunshade, which prevents sunlight
from heating the telescope. So, the cooling
is done by the low temperatures of space.ANTENNA: All image data is
transmitted to Earth, where
special software will
immediately spot and
catalogue hazardous objects.SOLAR PANEL: The location close to the
Sun allows the solar panel enough light
to generate power for the instruments.SENSOR: A customized infrared sensor is the heart of the
telescope. The sensor detects heat radiation of two
wavelengths and is able to spot even the darkest of asteroids,
which cannot be seen in the visible light spectrum.NEOCAMCALTECH/NASA & RICHARD DEMERS/JPL/NASA
Space telescope spots thousands
of hazardous asteroids
2021 Over a period of four years, NASA’s Near-Earth Object
Camera (NEOCam) is to identify two thirds of all asteroids
and comets on a collision course with Earth. The telescope
will be placed between Earth and the Sun.SOLAR SYSTEM ASTEROIDS