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Snow carrots after the Chelyabinsk event and model implications for highly porous solar system objects
Luther, Robert; Wünnemann, Kai; Artemieva, Natalia +2 more
After the catastrophic disruption of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid, small fragments formed funnels in the snow layer covering the ground. We constrain the pre-impact characteristics of the fragments by simulating their atmospheric descent with the atmospheric entry model. Fragments resulting from catastrophic breakup may lose about 90% of their initia…
Searching for calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions in cometary particles with Rosetta/COSIMA
Stenzel, Oliver; Kissel, Jochen; Hilchenbach, Martin +2 more
The calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) found in chondritic meteorites are probably the oldest solar system solids, dating back to 4567.30 ± 0.16 million years ago. They are thought to have formed in the protosolar nebula within a few astronomical units of the Sun, and at a temperature of around 1300 K. The Stardust mission found evidence of C…
A plausible link between the asteroid 21 Lutetia and CH carbonaceous chondrites
Fornasier, Sonia; Barucci, Maria A.; Trigo-Rodríguez, Josep M. +3 more
A crucial topic in planetology research is establishing links between primitive meteorites and their parent asteroids. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of a connection between asteroids similar to 21 Lutetia, encountered by the Rosetta mission in July 2010, and the CH3 carbonaceous chondrite Pecora Escarpment 91467 (PCA 91467). Severa…
Structure and density of cometary nuclei
Weissman, Paul R.; Lowry, Stephen C.
Understanding the nature of the cometary nucleus remains one of the major problems in solar system science. Whipple’s (1950) icy conglomerate model has been very successful at explaining a range of cometary phenomena, including the source of cometary activity and the nongravitational orbital motion of the nuclei. However, the internal structure of…
Rosetta target asteroid 2867 Steins: An unusual E-type asteroid
Weissman, Paul R.; Hicks, Michael D.; Choi, Young-Jun +2 more
ESA's Rosetta spacecraft will fly by main-belt asteroid 2867 Steins on September 5, 2008. We obtained new visible wavelength spectra of 2867 Steins on December 19, 2006 (UT), using the Palomar 5 m telescope and the facility Double Spectrograph. Two sets of spectra, taken ∼3 h apart, one half of the rotation period for 2867 Steins, show it to be an…
Finite difference time domain simulation of radar wave propagation through comet nuclei dielectric models
Heggy, Essam; Carley, Ruth A.
The 90 MHz radar-wave experiment, Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission (CONSERT), on board the Rosetta mission (ESA, 2004) is expected to probe the nucleus of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) to reveal information on its physical properties, chemical composition, and internal structure. This investigation assess…
A review of penetrometers for subsurface access on comets and asteroids
Ball, Andrew J.; Glaser, David L.; Zacny, Kris A.
The characterization of comet and asteroid interiors will eventually require in situ exploration with drills, penetrators/penetrometers, hypervelocity impactors, excavators or other devices. Because they offer desirable scientific capabilities and relative mechanical simplicity, penetrators and penetrometers, which use only axial force to push ben…