Fast boulder fracturing by thermal fatigue detected on stony asteroids

Lucchetti, A.; Cambioni, S.; Nakano, R.; Barnouin, O. S.; Pajola, M.; Penasa, L.; Tusberti, F.; Ramesh, K. T.; Dotto, E.; Ernst, C. M.; Daly, R. T.; Epifani, E. Mazzotta; Hirabayashi, M.; Parro, L.; Poggiali, G.; Bagatin, A. Campo; Ballouz, R.-L.; Chabot, N. L.; Michel, P.; Murdoch, N.; Vincent, J. B.; Karatekin, Ö.; Rivkin, A. S.; Sunshine, J. M.; Kohout, T.; Deshapriya, J.D.P.; Hasselmann, P.H.A.; Ieva, S.; Beccarelli, J.; Ivanovski, S. L.; Rossi, A.; Ferrari, F.; Rossi, C.; Raducan, S. D.; Steckloff, J.; Schwartz, S.; Brucato, J. R.; Dall’Ora, M.; Zinzi, A.; Cheng, A. F.; Amoroso, M.; Bertini, I.; Capannolo, A.; Caporali, S.; Ceresoli, M.; Cremonese, G.; Corte, V.; Gai, I.; Casajus, L. Gomez; Gramigna, E.; Impresario, G.; Manghi, R. Lasagni; Lavagna, M.; Lombardo, M.; Modenini, D.; Palumbo, P.; Perna, D.; Pirrotta, S.; Tortora, P.; Zannoni, M.; Zanotti, G.

Fast boulder fracturing by thermal fatigue detected on stony asteroids

A. Lucchetti (), S. Cambioni, R. Nakano, O. S. Barnouin, M. Pajola, L. Penasa, F. Tusberti, K. T. Ramesh, E. Dotto, C. M. Ernst, R. T. Daly, E. Mazzotta Epifani, M. Hirabayashi, L. Parro, G. Poggiali, A. Campo Bagatin, R.-L. Ballouz, N. L. Chabot, P. Michel, N. Murdoch, J. B. Vincent, Ö. Karatekin, A. S. Rivkin, J. M. Sunshine, T. Kohout, J.D.P. Deshapriya, P.H.A. Hasselmann, S. Ieva, J. Beccarelli, S. L. Ivanovski, A. Rossi, F. Ferrari, C. Rossi, S. D. Raducan, J. Steckloff, S. Schwartz, J. R. Brucato, M. Dall’Ora, A. Zinzi, A. F. Cheng, M. Amoroso, I. Bertini, A. Capannolo, S. Caporali, M. Ceresoli, G. Cremonese, V. Corte, I. Gai, L. Gomez Casajus, E. Gramigna, G. Impresario, R. Lasagni Manghi, M. Lavagna, M. Lombardo, D. Modenini, P. Palumbo, D. Perna, S. Pirrotta, P. Tortora, M. Zannoni and G. Zanotti
Additional contact information
A. Lucchetti: Vic. Osservatorio 5
S. Cambioni: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
R. Nakano: Georgia Institute of Technology
O. S. Barnouin: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
M. Pajola: Vic. Osservatorio 5
L. Penasa: Vic. Osservatorio 5
F. Tusberti: Vic. Osservatorio 5
K. T. Ramesh: Johns Hopkins University
E. Dotto: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma
C. M. Ernst: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
R. T. Daly: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
E. Mazzotta Epifani: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma
M. Hirabayashi: Georgia Institute of Technology
L. Parro: IUFACyT. Universidad de Alicante
G. Poggiali: INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri
A. Campo Bagatin: IUFACyT. Universidad de Alicante
R.-L. Ballouz: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
N. L. Chabot: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
P. Michel: Laboratoire Lagrange
N. Murdoch: Université de Toulouse
J. B. Vincent: DLR Institute of Planetary Research
Ö. Karatekin: Royal Observatory of Belgium
A. S. Rivkin: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
J. M. Sunshine: University of Maryland
T. Kohout: University of Helsinki
J.D.P. Deshapriya: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma
P.H.A. Hasselmann: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma
S. Ieva: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma
J. Beccarelli: Vic. Osservatorio 5
S. L. Ivanovski: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste
A. Rossi: Sesto Fiorentino
F. Ferrari: Politecnico di Milano - Bovisa Campus
C. Rossi: Vic. Osservatorio 5
S. D. Raducan: University of Bern
J. Steckloff: Planetary Science Institute
S. Schwartz: Planetary Science Institute
J. R. Brucato: INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri
M. Dall’Ora: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte
A. Zinzi: Space Science Data Center – ASI
A. F. Cheng: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
M. Amoroso: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
I. Bertini: Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”
A. Capannolo: Université de Toulouse
S. Caporali: INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri
M. Ceresoli: Politecnico di Milano - Bovisa Campus
G. Cremonese: Vic. Osservatorio 5
V. Corte: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte
I. Gai: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
L. Gomez Casajus: Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna
E. Gramigna: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
G. Impresario: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
R. Lasagni Manghi: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
M. Lavagna: Politecnico di Milano - Bovisa Campus
M. Lombardo: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
D. Modenini: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
P. Palumbo: INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali
D. Perna: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma
S. Pirrotta: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
P. Tortora: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
M. Zannoni: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
G. Zanotti: Politecnico di Milano - Bovisa Campus

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Spacecraft observations revealed that rocks on carbonaceous asteroids, which constitute the most numerous class by composition, can develop millimeter-to-meter-scale fractures due to thermal stresses. However, signatures of this process on the second-most populous group of asteroids, the S-complex, have been poorly constrained. Here, we report observations of boulders’ fractures on Dimorphos, which is the moonlet of the S-complex asteroid (65803) Didymos, the target of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary defense mission. We show that the size-frequency distribution and orientation of the mapped fractures are consistent with formation through thermal fatigue. The fractures’ preferential orientation supports that these have originated in situ on Dimorphos boulders and not on Didymos boulders later transferred to Dimorphos. Based on our model of the fracture propagation, we propose that thermal fatigue on rocks exposed on the surface of S-type asteroids can form shallow, horizontally propagating fractures in much shorter timescales (100 kyr) than in the direction normal to the boulder surface (order of Myrs). The presence of boulder fields affected by thermal fracturing on near-Earth asteroid surfaces may contribute to an enhancement in the ejected mass and momentum from kinetic impactors when deflecting asteroids.

Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50145-y

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