Statistics
Scientific paper
Jan 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000neas.work....7c&link_type=abstract
Near-Earth Asteroid Sample Return Workshop, p. 7
Statistics
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission, Eros Asteroid, Topography, Surface Properties, Regolith, Tectonics, Laser Range Finders, Craters
Scientific paper
The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker spacecraft entered orbit around the near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros on February 14, 2000. NEAR Shoemaker has measured the first x-ray spectra and obtained the first laser altimetric data from an asteroid. NEAR Shoemaker's intensive study of Eros from orbit has found an average density about that of Earth's crust. The density is almost uniform within the asteroid, but there may be a small center of mass offset from the center of figure. The abundances of major rock-forming elements at Eros may be consistent with those of low iron, ordinary chondrite meteorites, based upon the areas of the asteroid observed to date. Such a composition would also be consistent with spatially resolved, visible and near infrared spectra of the surface. NEAR Shoemaker has shown that Eros is not a differentiated body, but some degree of partial differentiation and/or heterogeneity is not ruled out. No evidence has been found for an intrinsic magnetic field. The surface of Eros is regolith covered. Blocks are distributed nonuniformly and are not confined to gravitational lows. Some areas appear young and extensively resurfaced. There is a pervasive global fabric consisting of ridges, grooves, and chains of pits or craters. Some topographic features indicate tectonic deformations. Many craters appear to be structurally controlled. Eros does not appear to consist of much smaller component bodies bound mainly by gravity. Some global scale linear features suggest that Eros may once have been part of a much larger parent body. The NEAR Laser Rangefinder (NLR) has accumulated over 9 million range returns from 433 Eros. NLR topographic profiles are interpreted with the aid of simultaneous, boresighted images obtained by the NEAR Multispectral Imager (MSI). The location of the NLR boresight relative to that of MSI is determined by detailed correlations of ranging data and simultaneous images, including cases where the laser boresight slewed off and on the limb of the asteroid, and cases where the laser illuminated a boulder close to the time of an image. The precision of NLR range measurements is about 1 m, with the minimum spot diameter under 5 m, and successive spots are contiguous or overlapping. Elevation on the irregular object Eros is determined using the gravitational and centrifugal potential. Landslides in craters are characterized. Possible crater benches are identified. Examples of infilled craters are presented. These observations suggest a depth of unconsolidated regolith, that is subject to sliding, of typically a few tens of meters. An example of structurally controlled cratering is presented. Examples of tectonic features are described, including one case of a nearly vertical cliff face over 100 m high. Surface roughness on Eros is approximately fractal from scales of a few meters to more than a kilometer. Comparison of fractal statistics shows that Eros is extremely rough on observed scales, even when compared to terrestrial lava on sub-meter scales and undisturbed lunar regolith on sub-centimeter scales. Possible implications for asteroid sample return missions will be discussed.
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