The collisional lifetime of asteroid 951 Gaspra

Details The collisional lifetime of asteroid 951 Gaspra The collisional lifetime of asteroid 951 Gaspra

Apr 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992a%26a...257..329f&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics (ISSN 0004-6361), vol. 257, no. 1, p. 329, 330.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

18

Asteroids, Collisions, Planetary Surfaces, Computer Programs, Impact Resistance, Space Probes

Scientific paper

We estimate the collisional lifetime of asteroid 951 Gaspra, the first target of an asteroid encounter by an interplanetary space probe. Plausible values range between 10 exp 8 and a few times 10 exp 9 yr, mainly depending on the impact strength of the body and the existing population of sub-km sized projectiles - both quantities for which only indirect observational evidence is currently available. Thus, Gaspra is most likely to be a fragment from a larger asteroid that was shattered in the past. Moreover, unless its material is very resistant to impact break-up (such as iron), Gaspra's surface is among the youngest extraterrestrial surfaces seen in the solar system (apart from active comet nuclei). However, better data on the abundance of very small asteroids are needed to determine its age in a more reliable way.

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