Japan Spaceguard Association
Nonprofit dedicated to near-Earth object observation and protection.
The Japan Spaceguard Association is a not-for-profit organization based in Tokyo, Japan. Its formal status under Japanese law is Specified Nonprofit Corporation. The association focuses on protecting the Earth from near-Earth object collisions.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- October 20, 1996
- Headquarters
- Tokyo
- Country
- Japan
- Industry
- astronomy
Facts from the source article.
Missions
The Japan Spaceguard Association (JSGA) aims to protect Earth from a disastrous near-Earth object (NEO) collision by studying and observing NEOs. JSGA operates the Bisei Spaceguard Center, owned by the Japan Space Forum, located near Bisei town in western Japan. The facility also tracks debris in Earth orbit. The Minor Planet Center credits JSGA with discovering a main-belt asteroid at Kiso Observatory on 6 December 1996.
International asteroid monitoring project
In 2001, the Japan Spaceguard Association, a Specified Nonprofit Corporation, organized an asteroid monitoring project called Spaceguard Private Investigators of the Stars: the fugitives are asteroids! to promote astronomy education for young people. Yoshiaki Oshima was on both the operating committee and the jury, and the association later published a paper about the project in conference proceedings. The British Council advised on the contest and helped present the project to observatories and laboratories. An optical telescope on the Canary Islands, run by Liverpool John Moores University, sent images over the internet to each participant. A total of 438 school classes and other teams, involving 1,317 people, signed up, and 133 groups or individuals submitted observation results. The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper sponsored the project and ran articles tracking the contest’s progress. Liverpool John Moores University and its Astrophysics Research Institute operate the National Schools' Observatory program, which uses a robotic telescope on the Canary Islands for UK schools to monitor asteroids remotely. They co-sponsored the International Schools' Observatory program organized by the British Council, with 12 junior high and senior high school teams from Asia and Europe taking part. Contestants submitted reports by March 4, 2001, and the association reviewed all 133 over two weeks. The jury met on March 14, and winners were announced in the Yomiuri Shimbun on March 20. The award details, assessment comments, a presentation report, and interviews with winners were published. The association also presented a plan for future astronomy education and asteroid hunting projects.
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