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Doublet craters and the tidal disruption of binary asteroidsAn evaluation is conducted of the possibility that the tidal disruption of a population of contact binary asteroids can account for terrestrial-impact 'doublet' craters. Detailed orbital integrations indicate that while such asteroids are often disrupted by tidal forces outside the Roche limit, the magnitude of the resulting separations is too small to account for the observed doublet craters. It is hypothesized that an initial population of km-scale earth-crossing objects encompassing 10-20 percent binaries must be responsible for doublet impacts, as may be verified by future observations of earth-approaching asteroids.
Document ID
19920033140
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Melosh, H. J.
(Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Stansberry, J. A.
(Arizona, University Tucson, United States)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1991
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Volume: 94
ISSN: 0019-1035
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
92A15764
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-428
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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