Possibilities of employing cryogenic optoelectronic systems for detection of asteroids

Abstract
To identify the distances at which asteroids may be detected in the visible and infrared ranges a comparative research has been conducted with reference to the temperature of an asteroid calculated for the conditions of their movement towards the sun. Correlations between asteroid traveling time, its temperature and detection distance have been found. It is shown that asteroids with the size of 10 – 50 m can be discovered at a distance of no less than one astronomical unit from the Earth’s orbit. The best conditions for detection are attained when a cryogenic optoelectronic system with the entrance pupil diameter of 10 m and a non-selective radiation detector is placed at the second Lagrange point where its thermal stability may be secured with minimum power expenses.