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Title: Modeling Momentum Transfer from Kinetic Impacts: Implications for Redirecting Asteroids

Abstract

Kinetic impactors are one way to deflect a potentially hazardous object headed for Earth. The Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission is designed to test the effectiveness of this approach and is a joint effort between NASA and ESA. The NASA-led portion is the Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) and is composed of a ~300-kg spacecraft designed to impact the moon of the binary system 65803 Didymos. The deflection of the moon will be measured by the ESA-led Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) (which will characterize the moon) and from ground-based observations. Because the material properties and internal structure of the target are poorly constrained, however, analytical models and numerical simulations must be used to understand the range of potential outcomes. Here, we describe a modeling effort combining analytical models and CTH simulations to determine possible outcomes of the DART impact. We examine a wide parameter space and provide predictions for crater size, ejecta mass, and momentum transfer following the impact into the moon of the Didymos system. For impacts into “realistic” asteroid types, these models produce craters with diameters on the order of 10 m, an imparted Δv of 0.5–2 mm/s and a momentum enhancement of 1.07 to 5more » for a highly porous aggregate to a fully dense rock.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
  2. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1214678
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Procedia Engineering
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 103; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1877-7058
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; Kinetic Impactors; CTH models; Didymos; AIDA mission concept

Citation Formats

Stickle, A. M., Atchison, J. A., Barnouin, O. S., Cheng, A. F., Crawford, D. A., Ernst, C. M., Fletcher, Z., and Rivkin, A. S. Modeling Momentum Transfer from Kinetic Impacts: Implications for Redirecting Asteroids. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2015.04.075.
Stickle, A. M., Atchison, J. A., Barnouin, O. S., Cheng, A. F., Crawford, D. A., Ernst, C. M., Fletcher, Z., & Rivkin, A. S. Modeling Momentum Transfer from Kinetic Impacts: Implications for Redirecting Asteroids. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2015.04.075
Stickle, A. M., Atchison, J. A., Barnouin, O. S., Cheng, A. F., Crawford, D. A., Ernst, C. M., Fletcher, Z., and Rivkin, A. S. 2015. "Modeling Momentum Transfer from Kinetic Impacts: Implications for Redirecting Asteroids". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2015.04.075. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1214678.
@article{osti_1214678,
title = {Modeling Momentum Transfer from Kinetic Impacts: Implications for Redirecting Asteroids},
author = {Stickle, A. M. and Atchison, J. A. and Barnouin, O. S. and Cheng, A. F. and Crawford, D. A. and Ernst, C. M. and Fletcher, Z. and Rivkin, A. S.},
abstractNote = {Kinetic impactors are one way to deflect a potentially hazardous object headed for Earth. The Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission is designed to test the effectiveness of this approach and is a joint effort between NASA and ESA. The NASA-led portion is the Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) and is composed of a ~300-kg spacecraft designed to impact the moon of the binary system 65803 Didymos. The deflection of the moon will be measured by the ESA-led Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) (which will characterize the moon) and from ground-based observations. Because the material properties and internal structure of the target are poorly constrained, however, analytical models and numerical simulations must be used to understand the range of potential outcomes. Here, we describe a modeling effort combining analytical models and CTH simulations to determine possible outcomes of the DART impact. We examine a wide parameter space and provide predictions for crater size, ejecta mass, and momentum transfer following the impact into the moon of the Didymos system. For impacts into “realistic” asteroid types, these models produce craters with diameters on the order of 10 m, an imparted Δv of 0.5–2 mm/s and a momentum enhancement of 1.07 to 5 for a highly porous aggregate to a fully dense rock.},
doi = {10.1016/j.proeng.2015.04.075},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1214678}, journal = {Procedia Engineering},
issn = {1877-7058},
number = C,
volume = 103,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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Cited by: 19 works
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Works referenced in this record:

Ejecta from impact craters
journal, January 2011


Momentum transfer in asteroid impacts. I. Theory and scaling
journal, November 2012


CTH: A three-dimensional shock wave physics code
journal, January 1990


Numerical simulations of impacts involving porous bodies
journal, November 2008


The Scaling of Impact Processes in Planetary Sciences
journal, May 1993


Momentum transfer in asteroid impacts. I. Theory and scaling
journal, November 2012


Ejecta from impact craters
journal, January 2011


Rotational breakup as the origin of small binary asteroids
journal, July 2008


Works referencing / citing this record:

European component of the AIDA mission to a binary asteroid: Characterization and interpretation of the impact of the DART mission
journal, October 2018