Shoemaker Near-Earth Object Grant Program

To find and track near-Earth objects (NEOs) to determine which -- if any -- pose a threat to our world, The Planetary Society has established the Gene Shoemaker Near Earth Object Grants. Shoemaker grants are awarded to amateur observers, observers in developing countries, and professional astronomers who, with seed funding, can greatly increase their programs' contributions to NEO research.

Grant recipients have played critical roles in tracking small asteroids that were discovered by major asteroid survey programs, and providing the crucial follow-up observations to determine precise orbits for these objects. They have also contributed NEO discoveries and characterizations of the properties of NEOs. Through these observations and others, supported by Society members and their donations, the Society is playing an active role in helping to ‘retire’ some of the risk of impact from NEOs and to reveal the properties of these interesting and valuable targets for future exploration.

The program honors pioneering planetary geologist Gene Shoemaker, who did so much to help us understand the process of impact cratering on the planets and the nature of the NEO population, and seeks to assist amateur observers, observers in developing countries, and under-funded professional observers contributing to vital NEO research.

Since founding the grant program in 1997, The Planetary Society has awarded 38 Shoemaker NEO grants totaling more than $235,000 to observers from 15 different countries on 5 continents. You can follow the efforts of past grant recipients through their contributions to the Planetary Society Blog and the Planetary Radio podcast.

Project Updates

Updates from Past Recipients of the Shoemaker NEO Grants

Posted by Bruce Betts on 2001/03/20 11:00 CST | 0 comments

Updates from Past Recipients of the Shoemaker NEO Grants

Posted by Bruce Betts on 2004/04/16 12:00 CDT | 0 comments

Astronomers Revise Torino Scale Asteroid Advisory System

Posted by A. J. S. Rayl on 2005/04/20 03:25 CDT | 0 comments

Astronomers have revised the Torino scale, the color-coded advisory system to assess the threat of asteroids and other near-Earth objects (NEOs) to make it easier for the public to understand.

Updates from Past Recipients of the Shoemaker NEO Grants

Posted by Bruce Betts on 2005/08/17 12:00 CDT | 0 comments

Updates from Past Recipients of the Shoemaker NEO Grants

Posted by Bruce Betts on 2006/07/18 12:00 CDT | 0 comments

Updates from Past Recipients of the Shoemaker NEO Grants

Posted by Bruce Betts on 2007/03/01 11:00 CST | 0 comments

Updates on the 2007 Shoemaker NEO Grant Recipients

Posted by Bruce Betts on 2008/06/27 12:00 CDT | 0 comments

Shoemaker Grant Recipient Co-Discovers Comet Lulin

Posted by Amir Alexander on 2009/02/24 11:00 CST | 0 comments

Updates on the 2007 Shoemaker NEO Grant Recipients

Posted by Bruce Betts on 2009/04/27 12:00 CDT | 0 comments