Flexibility of operation should allow the most effective use of any particular configuration of survey instruments that may be operational at any given time. If a second identical or similar telescope is added, the two can be used together to scan complementary sky areas, increasing the total area covered as well as probing to fainter objects by lengthening exposure. In a similar way, the observations of different telescopes with dissimilar operating characteristics can be optimized. The objective of such an approach is to maximize the total number of discoveries of the target objects by eliminating redundant discoveries and optimizing the use of each instrument to take advantage of its particular capabilities.
Cooperation replaces competition, to the advantage of all the parties.
With an adaptable system, it is not necessary to specify detailed instrument requirements in advance. It is possible for new partners to join in the NEO survey effort at any time, as they bring their own individual systems to an operating state. This adaptability is especially attractive for an international system, since each partner can decide independently the nature of any new systems to be developed and the degree to which such systems must be specially configured for NEO survey work. While we envision a survey that consists initially of a small number of existing U.S. telescopes that can be brought into operation quickly, we anticipate that the survey will grow into an international effort as other partners choose to join. As more telescopes become available to the NEO survey, the complementarity of their operations can be increased.