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Are the Brighter Rocks on Bennu Products of Recent Mechanical Weathering, and Therefore Less Space-Weathered?Our hypothesis is that the higher-albedo rocks on the surface of Bennu are products of thermal/mechanical weathering. If this suggestion is correct, then the higher albedo (~7–15%) of some rocks relative to the average background on Bennu (~4.5%) could be explained by their relatively fresh surfaces. Older rocks on Bennu would then be the darkest rocks— those that have experienced the most space weathering over time due to exposure to the space environment. Thermal/mechanical weathering (cracking of rocks) is a candidate mechanism for the particle ejection events observed to occur with regular frequency from the asteroid surface.
Document ID
20190032603
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Poster
Authors
Keller, Lindsay P.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Clark, B. E.
(Ithaca Coll. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Date Acquired
November 8, 2019
Publication Date
September 15, 2019
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
JSC-E-DAA-TN73875
Meeting Information
Meeting: EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019
Location: Geneva
Country: Switzerland
Start Date: September 15, 2019
End Date: September 20, 2019
Sponsors: Europlanet Society
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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