The Spaceguard Foundation
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| The Spaceguard Foundation | |
|---|---|
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| Type | not-for-profit organization |
| Founded | March 26, 1996[1] |
| Founder | E. Shoemaker, D. Steel, A. Carusi and the Working Group on Near-Earth Objects (WGNEO) of the International Astronomical Union[1] |
| Headquarters | Frascati, Italy |
| Industry | astronomy |
| Products | Spaceguard System |
| Revenue | non-profit |
| Website | spaceguard.esa.int, mirrored at spaceguard.iasf-roma.inaf.it |
The Spaceguard Foundation (SGF) is a private organization based in Frascati, Italy, whose purpose is to study, discover and observe near-Earth objects (NEO) and protect the Earth from the possible threat of their collision. The foundation is non-party, non-political and non-profit,[2] and acts as the international organization grouping together the spaceguard organizations in various countries, as well as individual astronomers and organizations interested in the foundation's activities.
The foundation was established in Rome in 1996. Since then, it has moved into the ESA Centre for Earth Observation (ESRIN) at Frascati.[3] As of 2007, Italian astronomer Andrea Carusi heads the foundation.
Contents |
[edit] History
- See also: Spaceguard
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] The Spaceguard System
The Spaceguard System is a collection of observatories engaging in near-Earth objects (NEO) observations.[4] The Spaceguard Central Node—the website of the foundation—manages the collection and provides the observatories with services which would optimize the international coordination of NEO follow-ups. The individual observatories in the system participate in these services on a volunteer basis. As of 2007, all the observatories in the system are ground-based.
[edit] Related organizations
- Spaceguard Croatia (Croatia)
- Spaceguard Foundation e.V. (Germany)
- Japan Spaceguard Association (Japan)
- Spaceguard UK (United Kingdom)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Brief history of the Spaceguard Foundation. The Spaceguard Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-02-03.
- ^ English translation of the By-laws of The Spaceguard Foundation
- ^ Planetary Defense
- ^ The Spaceguard System
