Subject: A Special Earthlike Orbit: NEO 2013 BS45
From: Daniel Adamo <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 12:51:24 -0700

ATIG Members-

At heliocentric (a, e) coordinates (0.998 AU, 0.084) on the V-plot sent last
month is the newly discovered NEO 2013 BS45.  With a semi-major axis nearly
the same as Earth's, this NEO's heliocentric phase rate with respect to
Earth is so small that some very strange things happen to its orbit as it
closes in on our planet.  Read all about 2013 BS45's remarkable orbit in the
attached PDF file.

Could a small NEO in an orbit like 2013 BS45's be captured and retrieved by
a robotic spacecraft with ion engines?  Such a target would not be easy to
find with enough lead time to launch a rendezvous mission before it escapes
the reach of our current retrieval technology.

-Dan

From: Daniel Adamo <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:39:16 -0700
Conversation: Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) In Earthlike Orbits
Subject: Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) In Earthlike Orbits

ATIG Members-

The attached PDF file is effectively a 2-page caption for the "V-plot"
graphic at its conclusion.  To clearly view annotations on this graphic,
you'll need a zoom factor of about 250%.  As humanity begins to explore the
most accessible interplanetary destinations in an era prior to the first
comprehensive NEO survey, a current V-plot is akin to maps of the New World
published circa 1500 AD.

As you study the V-plot, be sure to note the location of 2013 BS45.  This
recently discovered NEO is in a very interesting orbit and will be the
subject of an ATIG upload in the next month or so.

-Dan