Small Bodies

At the USGS Astrogeology Science Center we conduct research on Planetary Defense. Planetary Defense involves predicting potential impactors (asteroids, comets), and studying how to deflect or divert them, as well as the potential effects of an impact. Effects include short-term effects such as blast damage, but also long-term effects such as climate and social impacts.

The Astrogeology Team at USGS provides coordination of NASA's planetary geologic mapping program. Geologic mapping investigations of any imaged planetary body (except Earth) are proposed to NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program on an annual basis (generally due sometime between late April and early June) and then reviewed by the Lunar and Planetary Geoscience Review Panel. USGS map...

The USGS Astrogeology Science Center is host to the lead science component of the Cartography and Imaging Sciences Node (IMG) of the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS). A partner facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) provides engineering support and technical management for the IMG. The IMG is a PDS science discipline node that manages an archive of more than 1500 TB in a growing...