FAQ

❓ FAQ

General

What is CosmoRisk?

A desktop application for visualizing and simulating Near-Earth Objects (asteroids) using real NASA data.

Is this free?

Yes! CosmoRisk is free and open source under the MIT license.

What platforms are supported?

• Windows 10/11
• macOS 11+
• Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)

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Data & Accuracy

Where does the asteroid data come from?

All data comes from NASA's NeoWs (Near Earth Object Web Service) API, which is maintained by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

How accurate is the simulation?

The simulation uses:

• N-body gravitational physics (Sun, Earth, Moon, Jupiter, Mars)
• Velocity Verlet symplectic integration
• Full 3D Keplerian orbit visualization
• MOID calculation with 72×72 point orbital sampling
• Perturbations: J2, SRP, Yarkovsky, Poynting-Robertson

However:

• Very long-term predictions have inherent uncertainty
• This is an educational tool, not for operational use

What is "Potentially Hazardous"?

An asteroid is classified as Potentially Hazardous if:

• MOID (Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance) < 0.05 AU
• Absolute magnitude H < 22 (diameter > ~140m)

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Technical

Why do I need a NASA API key?

NASA requires API keys to track usage and prevent abuse. Keys are free and instant.

Can I use this offline?

Partially. You need internet to fetch asteroid data, but once loaded, the simulation works offline.

The app is slow, what can I do?

• Reduce number of asteroids loaded
• Lower time scale
• Close other GPU-intensive applications
• Your GPU may not support WebGL 2.0

Build fails on Linux

Install dependencies:

sudo apt-get install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf

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Scientific

What is the Torino Scale?

A 0-10 scale for categorizing asteroid impact threat based on probability and kinetic energy:

Level	Color	Category
0	⬜ White	No hazard - too small or impossible collision
1	🟩 Green	Normal - routine discovery, very low threat
2-4	🟨 Yellow	Meriting attention - deserves monitoring
5-7	🟧 Orange	Threatening - contingency planning needed
8-10	🟥 Red	Certain collision - impact will occur

Energy Thresholds:

• < 1 kiloton: Burns up in atmosphere
• 1 kt - 1 MT: Local damage (e.g., Chelyabinsk)
• 1 - 100 MT: Regional devastation (e.g., Tunguska)
• > 100 MT: National/global effects

📖 See Torino Scale wiki page for full methodology.

What deflection method is most realistic?

Currently, the Kinetic Impactor (proven by NASA's DART mission in 2022) is the most technologically ready.

Can this simulate real deflection missions?

The physics are simplified for educational purposes. Real mission planning uses tools like NASA's CNEOS and ESA's NEO Coordination Centre.

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Support

I found a bug!

Please report it: GitHub Issues

I have a feature suggestion

Open a feature request: GitHub Issues

How can I contribute?

See CONTRIBUTING.md

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