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Our solar system includes many small celestial bodies
called asteroids. In addition, defunct spacecraft and artificial
satellites whose mission has ended are still orbiting the Earth,
and are now called space debris.
Bisei Spaceguard Center (BSGC) is the first institution in the
world that was established specifically to keep track of asteroids
and space debris.
BSGC was constructed in 2000 in Bisei-cho, Okayama, by Japan
Space Forum (JSF) with the aid of the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Its annual operating
expenses are covered by Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA)and the daily observation
work is performed by members of Japan
Spaceguard Association , a non-profit organization.
On clear nights, at the state-of-the-art BSGC facility, the skies are monitored to discover and track moving celestial bodies such as asteroids and space debris. |
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