演講資訊

摘要：

Multiple space missions are headed off to return samples from near-Earth Asteroids. However, near-Earth Asteroids are a transient population with their population being constantly re-plenished with bodies from the Main Asteroid belt. The Main Asteroid belt is a big place with lots of diversity and all regions and asteroid types can make the trip to become near-Earth Asteroids. Therefore, context for a returned sample requires connecting a specific near-Earth Asteroid with a region in the Main Asteroid Belt or ideally a specific family of asteroids. However, the dynamical evolution of asteroids from the Main Belt to the near-Earth population requires asteroids to drift due to a radiation effect, which itself depends on the shape and surface properties of the asteroid. This is complicated by the ability of small asteroids to reshape due to rotation rate changes brought about by related, but different, radiation effects. This intersection of asteroid dynamics and geology is critical for understanding the evolution of the asteroid belt and the delivery of near-Earth Asteroids over time. I will discuss a hunt for the source region of a space mission target asteroid, why that led to the discovery of a new asteroid family and how the reshaping of km-sized asteroids is the critical physics in understanding which is the actual parent family.