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| SMASS | |
|---|---|
| Name | SMASS |
| Type | Survey |
| Field | Planetary science |
| Start | 1990s |
| Lead | Michael E. Brown |
| Institutions | Smithsonian Institution, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Arizona |
SMASS
SMASS was a spectroscopic asteroid survey that produced a detailed taxonomic framework for main-belt and near-Earth asteroid populations, combining visible-wavelength spectra with observational campaigns from major observatories. It influenced follow-up studies by teams associated with NASA, European Space Agency, and university groups at Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, Cornell University, and Arizona State University. The dataset informed spacecraft missions, laboratory mineralogy comparisons, and dynamical interpretations linked to bodies studied by NEAR Shoemaker, Hayabusa, and OSIRIS-REx.
SMASS originated as a coordinated effort to refine asteroid taxonomy using higher-resolution visible spectra than earlier systems; it built on foundations laid by surveys affiliated with Palomar Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Mauna Kea Observatories, and the International Astronomical Union working groups. The program engaged observers connected to Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lowell Observatory, Planetary Science Institute, and researchers from University of Hawaii and University of Arizona. SMASS data were used alongside laboratory spectra from institutions such as Smithsonian Institution and Carnegie Institution for Science.
Development traces to initiatives in the late 1980s and 1990s when teams at MIT, Caltech, and Harvard sought to improve upon the earlier taxonomy produced by efforts at Tholen-associated groups. Principal investigators coordinated observing runs with staff from Palomar Observatory and instrument teams at University of California, Los Angeles. Collaborative work included analysts from NASA Ames Research Center, JPL, and European partners at Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris. Subsequent data releases were discussed at meetings of the American Geophysical Union, Division for Planetary Sciences, and panels convened by the National Research Council.
The SMASS scheme refined asteroid classes and subclasses by spectral slope and absorption features, expanding on categories introduced by scientists associated with Tholen taxonomy initiatives and laboratory mineralogists at Smithsonian Institution and Carnegie Institution for Science. It produced categories that were mapped to meteorite analogues studied at NASA Johnson Space Center and meteorite collections curated at Natural History Museum, London and Field Museum of Natural History. The taxonomy influenced compositional assignments used in mission planning for Dawn, Hayabusa2, and Lucy and was compared to infrared classifications from teams at Spitzer Space Telescope and WISE.
SMASS employed low- to moderate-resolution visible spectrographs mounted on telescopes at Palomar Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, and Mauna Kea Observatories to capture spectra in the 0.44–0.92 μm range, aligning observational strategies with instrument teams from Caltech and University of Hawaii. Data reduction workflows referenced techniques developed at JPL and analysis pipelines used by groups at Arizona State University and Cornell University. Spectral calibration and solar analog comparisons involved standards maintained by National Optical Astronomy Observatory and cross-validation with laboratory reflectance spectra from Smithsonian Institution collections and the US Geological Survey.
SMASS revealed finer subdivisions in S-type, C-type, and X-type populations and identified spectral features indicative of silicates, metal, and hydrated minerals; these findings were integrated into interpretation frameworks used by researchers at NASA, ESA, MPS, and academic groups at University of California, Santa Cruz. The survey highlighted compositional gradients across the main belt relevant to models by scientists at Caltech and Princeton University and provided target selection data for missions like NEAR Shoemaker and OSIRIS-REx. Results were compared with mineralogical studies from Smithsonian Institution and isotopic studies from Carnegie Institution for Science and informed dynamical work conducted at Southwest Research Institute.
SMASS influenced mission planning, telescope survey strategies, and laboratory comparisons at institutions including JPL, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, European Space Agency, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, and university programs at MIT and Harvard. Its taxonomy was used in selecting rendezvous and sample-return targets for Hayabusa, Hayabusa2, and OSIRIS-REx and guided compositional mapping efforts tied to datasets from Spitzer Space Telescope, WISE, and ground-based campaigns at Palomar Observatory and Mauna Kea Observatories. The survey's classifications are cited in studies published through journals associated with American Astronomical Society, Nature Astronomy, and Science.
Critiques centered on wavelength coverage limits, resolution trade-offs, and the need to reconcile SMASS classes with infrared-based systems developed by teams at Spitzer Space Telescope and NEOWISE. Calls for integration led to revision efforts involving researchers at JPL, NASA Ames Research Center, University of Arizona, and Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, and motivated expanded surveys combining visible and near-infrared spectra by groups at Caltech, MIT, and Cornell University. Debates were discussed at meetings of the Division for Planetary Sciences and in publications coordinated with editorial boards of journals from American Geophysical Union and American Astronomical Society.
Category:Asteroid surveys