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Accession Number
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N20120002978
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Title
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Regolith Depth, Mobility, and Variability on Vesta from Dawn's Low Altitude Mapping Orbit.
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Publication Date
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2012
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Media Count
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2p
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Personal Author
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A. Nathues B. W. Denevi C. A. Raymond C. M. Pieters C. T. Russell D. A. Williams D. L. Buczkowski D. T. Blewett D. W. Mittlefehldt E. I. Coman J. M. Sunshine J. P. Combe J. Y. Li M. C. De Sanctis N. Schmedemann N. E. Petro R. Jaumann S. Marchi S. Schroeder
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Abstract
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Regolith, the fragmental debris layer formed from impact events of all sizes, covers the surface of all asteroids imaged by spacecraft to date. Here we use Framing Camera (FC) images (1) acquired by the Dawn spacecraft (2) from its low-altitude mapping orbit (LAMO) of 210 km (pixel scales of approximately 20 m) to characterize regolith depth, variability, and mobility on Vesta, and to locate areas of especially thin regolith and exposures of competent material. These results will help to evaluate how the surface of this differentiated asteroid has evolved over time, and provide key contextual information for understanding the origin and degree of mixing of the surficial materials for which compositions are estimated (3,4) and the causes of the relative spectral immaturity of the surface (5). Vestan regolith samples, in the form of howardite meteorites, can be studied in the laboratory to provide complementary constraints on the regolith process (6).
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Keywords
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Achondrites
Debris
Depth
Exposure
Framing cameras
Low altitude
Meteoritic composition
Mobility
Pixels
Regolith
Spectra
Variability
Vesta asteroid
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Source Agency
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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NTIS Subject Category
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54 - Astronomy & Astrophysics
48F - Geology & Geophysics
82B - Photographic Techniques & Equipment
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Corporate Author
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC.
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Document Type
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Conference proceedings
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Title Note
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N/A
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NTIS Issue Number
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1218
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Contract Number
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N/A
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