Simulations of Dawn Gravity for Vesta and Ceres And Implications For Interior Structure

Details Simulations of Dawn Gravity for Vesta and Ceres And Implications For Interior Structure Simulations of Dawn Gravity for Vesta and Ceres And Implications For Interior Structure

Sep 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.5001a&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #50.01

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The gravity field, along with shape models of Vesta and Ceres, allows one to model crustal thickness, crater structure and internal mass variations on the order of the gravity resolution. The gravity investigation for Dawn includes a Low Altitude Mapping Orbit at Vesta (LAMO) with an average altitude of 155 km with respect to the asteroid's 258-km radius. Simulations of expected DSN X-band Doppler tracking during this phase indicate that a 20th degree gravity field (or 40-km surface resolution) can be determined - exceeding the 9th degree or 90-km science requirement. The expected power of the gravity field used in the simulations was derived from a shape model (Thomas et al., 1997) assuming constant density. The nominal mission plan for Ceres has a polar circular orbit of 700-km altitude. A fifth degree and order gravity field (or 300-km surface resolution), which is the science requirement, will be determined at this altitude. Current uncertainties in the GM of Vesta and Ceres are near 2% and have been determined from perturbations of these bodies on other asteroids and Mars. The knowledge of the GM of Vesta is required for Dawn mission planning; recent GM solutions will be discussed. The Dawn mission will determine the GM of both asteroids to << 0.01%. Prospects of detection of wobble and accuracy of the rotational pole and spin from the Doppler gravity data will be presented. This work was carried out in part at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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