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Shoemaker Near-Earth Object Grant Program
April 17, 2013
Just Announced the 2013 Shoemaker NEO Grant Recipients
There were 16 proposers from 10 countries with five winners (of those, 3 are previous Shoemaker NEO winners) receiveing $34,307!
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 16 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.
If you are interested in seeing what the process is for proposing for a Shoemaker NEO Grant, you may see the last round's Call for Proposals for more information and How to Submit a Proposal for submission details, and the rest of this section and this blog for additional background. The last round of proposals was due February 4, 2013.
Project Updates
Hunting Asteroids from a Field in Kansas
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2012/06/15 06:33 CDT
TPS Shoemaker NEO Grant Winner Gary Hug hunts near Earth objects from his back yard in Kansas. NPR's Morning Edition picked up on this fascinating story.
More Evidence for Impact Origin for Colombia’s Vichada Structure
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2012/05/08 03:43 CDT
Evidence continues to pile up that the Rio Vichada structure in Colombia is indeed the largest impact structure in South America.
La Sagra Observatory discovers very near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14
Posted by Jaime Nomen on 2012/03/27 05:20 CDT | 3 comments
With a new CCD camera configured to shoot rapid, short exposures bought with a Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO Grant we caught near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14.
Shoemaker NEO Grant Update: Asteroid discoveries from La Sagra
Posted by Jaime Nomen on 2011/08/22 04:41 CDT
In spite of some bad weather conditions during the first part of this year, the new camera bought with funds from a Planetary Society Shoemaker Near Earth Object grant helped us to discover and confirm ten new near-Earth objects.
Planetary Society Researcher Max Rocca Discovers Largest Impact Crater in South America
Posted by Amir Alexander on 2010/02/13 12:00 CST
It was January of 2004 when the elegant curve of the Vichada first caught the attention of geologist Max Rocca of Buenos Aires. Could the course of the river have been shaped by the circular outlines of an impact crater? Rocca decided to find out.
Grant Winners at the Planetary Defense Conference
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2009/05/05 12:00 CDT
More from the Planetary Defense Conference: Shoemaker Grant Winners
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2009/04/27 06:54 CDT
More from the Planetary Defense Conference: Shoemaker Grant Winners
Updates on the 2007 Shoemaker NEO Grant Recipients
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2009/04/27 12:00 CDT
Our 2007 Shoemaker NEO Grant winners have been extremely busy over the past two years. Take for example Quanzhi Ye of Guangzhou, China: He was only 18 when he received the award but already the principal investigator of the sky survey at the Lulin Observatory in Taiwan.
Shoemaker Grant Recipient Co-Discovers Comet Lulin
Posted by Amir Alexander on 2009/02/24 11:00 CST
More on NEO Grants
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