First Asteroid Detection since Hurricane Maria

NASA-funded Arecibo Planetary Radar system was tested for the first time since hurricane Maria with a successful detection of near-Earth asteroid 2007 AG. This object at its closest approach to Earth will be some 0.059 AU and is estimated to be 300 meters in diameter

The Planetary Radar Science group is a department of the Arecibo Observatory, which is an NSF facility operated under cooperative agreement by SRI International, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), and la Universidad Metropolitana (UMET). The Arecibo Observatory Planetary Radar program is fully funded through grants to USRA from NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations program (Grants NNX12AF24G and NNX13AQ46G). The Planetary Radar Science group is also partnered with the Center for Lunar Science and Exploration node (USRA-Lunar and Planetary Institute/NASA-Johnson Space Center) of the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute program.

More information about the Arecibo Observatory - Planetary Radar Science Group can be found at http://www.AreciboObservatory.org/planetary

Technical Contact
Edgard G. Rivera-Valentín
Universities Space Research Association
281-486-2198
ervalentin@usra.edu