LISA Could Double as an Asteroid Scale

LISA Could Double as an Asteroid Scale
By Andy Tomaswick (https://ift.tt/ZxPCwv0)

One of the hardest things to calculate for an asteroid is its mass - but it is such a critical feature. It determines how much of an impact it would have if it hits something, or how many resources are potentially available on it. But to accurately measure it we typically use optical sensing and a guesstimate of its density based on its spectral profile. A new paper suggests a completely novel way to use the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) flagship mission to potentially provide highly accurate mass calculations for nearby asteroids without any change in hardware.

June 16, 2026 at 12:37AM
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