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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Understanding the Heating Kinetics of Asteroid Ryugu By Comparison to Naturally and Experimentally Heated Meteorites

The Hayabusa2 mission visited the near-Earth Cb-type asteroid (162173) Ryugu and has returned to Earth surface material of Ryugu. Ryugu is an airless rubble pile asteroid exposed to space weathering [1]. Visible and near infrared remote observations recorded an absorption feature at 2.72 μm indicating the presence of OH– bearing hydrous components. The weak 2.72 μm feature suggested that Ryugu was once organic- and water-rich and subsequently dehydrated by a brief period of surficial heating with resemblance to “thermally metamorphosed carbonaceous chondrites”, “CI-/CM-like”, or “CY” chondrites [2, 3]. However, initial examination of the returned samples did not identify any significant heating of >150 °C [4, 5], and contrastingly, amino acid analysis of Ryugu samples suggested similarities to thermally-altered meteorites on the grounds of the predominant straight-chain n-ω-amino acid abundances [6]. In this study, we aim at addressing the nonconformal interpretations to the thermal history of Ryugu by comparing the organic composition of fresh Ryugu samples to that of chondritic meteorites that have been naturally (long-term radiogenic thermal metamorphism and short-term heating) and experimentally heated.

Q. H. S. Chan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Asteroid (142) Polana at 3 µm and its Connection to Primitive Near-Earth Asteroids

Impacts between asteroid-sized objects have dominated the solar system's history and played a significant role in forming asteroid families. The New Polana family is a low-inclination and the most prominent low-albedo family within the inner Main Belt between the v6 secular resonance at ~2.0 AU and the 3:1 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter at ~2.5 AU [1]. This family formed over 2000 Myr ago and is parented by the B-type asteroid (142) Polana [1]. [2] and [3] found that primitive near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), including Hayabusa2’s asteroid target (162173) Ryugu and OSIRIS-REx’s asteroid target (101955) Bennu, are likely disrupted fragments that originated during the formation of the New Polana family. Other possible sources of primitive NEAs in the inner Main Belt include the Clarissa, Erigone, Polana, and Sulamitis, families and the collisionally evolved background asteroids outside these families [2, 4]. The age of the solar system is longer than the collisional lifetime of asteroid Bennu [5], a rubble pile asteroid with a mean diameter of 490.06 ± 0.16 m [6] and a spinning top-like shape [7]. Asteroid 142 Polana, the largest remnant of the New Polana family [1], has been spectrally (~0.5-2.5 µm) and dynamically linked to asteroid Bennu [e.g., 2]. Bennu’s spectra were measured over the wavelength range from 0.4 to 4.3 µm with OSIRIS-REx Visible and InfraRed Spectrometer (OVIRS) [8]. Here, we investigate the compositional linkage of asteroids Polana and Bennu using 3-µm Polana spectra measured at the Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF)

Driss Takir↗
NASA NTRS2024

Constraining the Surface Exposure Age of Asteroid Bennu Using Cosmogenic Radionuclides in an OSIRIS-REx Aggregate Sample and Individual Particles

Observations by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft of asteroid Bennu revealed evidence that this small rubble-pile asteroid experiences several active surface processes that likely control its recent surface exposure history. In October 2020, the spacecraft collected a surface sample from a relatively young ~20 m diameter crater (Hokioi) on asteroid Bennu, and the sample was successfully delivered to Earth on September 24, 2023. Based on the population of craters >50 m diameter, Bennu’s surface is 0.1–1 Ga old, but the old surface is affected by recent processes including smaller meteoroid impacts, mass movement, and particle ejections. The sampling location within Hokioi crater was selected based on its relatively flat surface devoid of large boulders, but the crater floor is also believed to be one of the youngest surfaces on asteroid Bennu, with an age of <100 kyr. As the crater is ~2 m deep, the samples that were collected by OSIRIS-REx may have been relatively shielded from cosmic rays during most of its recent history. This scenario is different from the samples that were collected by Hayabusa2 from asteroid Ryugu, where cosmogenic noble gas and radionuclides indicate cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) ages of ~5 Myr near the surface. Our goal is to understand the recent exposure history of surface samples of asteroid Bennu utilizing radionuclides ( 10 Be, 26 Al, 36 Cl, 41 Ca) produced by both galactic (GCR) and solar (SCR) cosmic rays. With half- lives ranging from 0.1 to 1.36 million years (Myr), the concentrations of these cosmogenic nuclides provide information on the duration and exposure conditions (irradiation depth) of these samples on a timescale of a few Myr. This work will test one of the OSIRIS-REx mission’s driving hypotheses about asteroid Bennu’s recent evolution: that Hokioi crater is part of a population of small (25 m) spectrally red craters on Bennu that are less than 0.1 Myr old.

K. C. Welten↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lithological Diversity of a C-Complex Asteroid Recorded in LON 94101

CMs are the most common carbonaceous chondrite type, providing a wealth of information about the formation and aqueous alteration of primitive asteroids. Owing to their brecciated nature and possible rubble pile heritage, CMs host many lithologies. Indeed, recent results from Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx have revealed a plethora of boulder types on the surface of C-complex asteroids, from which most carbonaceous chondrites are likely derived, attesting to the complex history individual asteroids have experienced. Deciphering the relationships between lithologies, particularly when drawing upon multiple meteorites remains challenging, as C-complex asteroids are very common, and multiple asteroids could be providing similar materials.

R Findlay↗
NASA NTRS2024

Oxygen-Bearing Organic Components in Ryugu Samples

The Hayabusa2 mission visited the near-Earth Cb-type asteroid (162173) Ryugu and has returned to Earth with the surface material of Ryugu. Ryugu is an airless rubble pile asteroid exposed to space weathering. Initial organic analyses indicate that Ryugu contains aliphatic rich, ketone and carboxyl functional groups, in associated with phyllosilicate and carbonate minerals. Here we investigate the alteration history of Ryugu by comparing the organic content of carbonate-bearing Ryugu samples to that of naturally and experimentally heated meteorites.

Q H S Chan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preservation of Previously Unsampled Primordial Isotopic Components in Ryugu and Bennu Samples

Ivuna-type (CI) carbonaceous chondrites are primitive meteorites whose relative elemental abundances closely match the solar photosphere 1 , making them critical benchmarks for the bulk chemical and isotopic composition of the planet-forming disk. Recent sample-return missions to Ryugu 2 and Bennu 3 have enabled direct laboratory analysis of these rubble-pile CI-like asteroids 4 , formed from the reaccumulated fragments of once-larger parent bodies. As such, they may retain a broader spectrum of primordial nucleosynthetic components than is preserved in known meteorites. Here, we report the nucleosynthetic compositions of silicon (μ 30 Si), magnesium (μ 26 Mg*), and iron (μ 54 Fe), three of the four most abundant planet-building elements, in samples from Ryugu and Bennu, along with the newly discovered Oued Chebeika 002 CI chondrite 5 . In contrast to the isotopic homogeneity of CI chondrites, Ryugu and Bennu preserve resolvable μ 26 Mg* and μ 30 Si heterogeneity, revealing μ 26 Mg*- and μ 30 Si-rich nucleosynthetic components not sampled in meteorites. These components may reflect the preservation of previously unsampled primordial isotopic signals, prior to thermal processing 6,7 and late infall of primordial molecular cloud material to the outer disk 8,9 . Additionally, Ryugu particle C0002 exhibits a μ 26 Mg*-poor and μ 54 Cr-rich signature, consistent with incorporation of presolar material from massive supernovae 10,11 . Ryugu and Bennu samples define one end of a μ 54 Fe–μ 30 Si array among carbonaceous asteroid materials 9 , suggesting that the isotopic compositions of these asteroidal materials reflect mixing between early disk isotopic components identified in this study and material derived from the outermost disk 9 . This observation demonstrates that materials with solar chemical abundances can nonetheless exhibit markedly distinct nucleosynthetic signatures. Thus, Ryugu and Bennu samples are critical records of nucleosynthetic diversity among carbonaceous asteroids and underscore the value of sample-return missions in accessing primitive isotopic signatures absent from meteorite collections.

Martin Bizzarro↗
NASA NTRS2024

The dynamical origins of the dark comets and a proposed evolutionary track

So-called ‘dark comets’ are small, morphologically inactive near-Earth objects (NEOs) that exhibit nongravitational accelerations inconsistent with radiative effects. These objects exhibit short rotational periods (minutes to hours), where measured. We find that the strengths required to prevent catastrophic disintegration are consistent with those measured in cometary nuclei and expected in rubble pile objects. We hypothesize that these dark comets are the end result of a rotational fragmentation cascade, which is consistent with their measured physical properties. We calculate the predicted size-frequency distribution for objects evolving under this model. Using dynamical simulations, we further demonstrate that the majority of these bodies originated from the 𝜈6 resonance, implying the existence of volatiles in the current inner main belt. Moreover, one of the dark comets, (523599) 2003 RM, likely originated from the outer main belt, although a JFC origin is also plausible. These results provide strong evidence that volatiles from a reservoir in the inner main belt are present in the near-Earth environment.

Aster G Taylor↗
DOE OSTI2020

Reducing Cost of Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compound Remediation by Transitioning from Active to Passive Soil Vapor Extraction - 20157

Areas of high chlorinated volatile organic compound (cVOC) contamination at the Savannah River Site (SRS) have been undergoing remediation via soil vapor extraction, sometimes coupled with thermal treatments to enhance extraction rates. These active systems are effective in removing large amounts of contaminant mass from the subsurface and mitigating the impacts to groundwater. However, as extraction rates decline, costs must be evaluated with respect to the benefit of continued active operation. A decision framework for identifying conditions when a transition to a more passive remediation is appropriate has been developed with state and federal regulatory agencies. Two remediation areas have recently been transitioned from active soil vapor extraction (ASVE) to passive soil vapor extraction (PSVE) at the SRS. Performance evaluation goals including plume stabilization, overall mass removal trends, environmental sustainability and costs were considered in transitioning from active remediation to passive technologies at both sites. At the Dynamic Underground Stripping (DUS) project at the M-Area Settling Basin, ASVE was combined with steam injection to extract cVOCs during active operations. Steam injection occurred from September 2005 to September 2009. DUS utilized 63 steam injection wells, 34 active vapor extraction wells, and 3 active soil vapor extraction units (SVEUs). Two active SVEUs had 60 horsepower blowers; the third had a 25-horsepower blower. Mass removal was closely tracked during DUS operations; over 181,437 kilograms (400,000 pounds) of cVOCs were removed while active steam injection occurred. After steaming was stopped, ASVE continued. The 34 active wells were evaluated in 2012. The ASVE wells were grouped into categories of high, medium, and low extraction rates. High producing wells remained connected to a single active SVEU. Low producing wells were abandoned, and the medium producing wells were transitioned to PSVE (Microblowers{sup TM}). Microblowers{sup TM} utilize a dedicated blower per well and are solar powered. This passive technology provides energy, maintenance, and operation costs savings while still providing an efficient reduction in cVOC migration to groundwater. In 2018, the remaining ASVE wells were evaluated again. The purpose of this testing was to identify which wells removed the most mass. An optimal well configuration was determined. The criteria to discontinue ASVE was removal of less than 18 kilograms (40 pounds) per week of cVOCs. After 3 months of shutdown (rebound conditions), 2.7 kilograms (5.9 pounds) of cVOCs per week were being removed. Data from the rebound test justified ending ASVE and transitioning wells with higher extraction rates to PSVE. Wells that had depleted the cVOC mass within their zone of influence were abandoned. Performance data from existing PSVE wells justified ending PSVE at wells with depleted extraction rates. Currently the system has 16 PSVE wells operating. Another ASVE system was being used to treat cVOC contaminated soil at the A-Area Miscellaneous Rubble Pile (AMRP) at SRS. System operation began in 2004, with 7 ASVE wells connected to a 60- horsepower blower. Mass removal rates and contaminant concentrations remained consistently low over the ASVE lifespan at AMRP. This indicated that mass removal was diffusion limited. With this data, the 7 ASVE wells were transitioned to PSVE in 2017. Twelve pressure monitoring points were also transitioned to PSVE wells. AMRP currently has 19 PSVE wells operating. Both transitions from active to passive remediation had concurrence from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. These transitions ensure that only the necessary amount of energy is being exerted to remediate the environment. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2017

A Case for Nebula Scale Mixing Between Non-Carbonaceous and Carbonaceous Chondrite Reservoirs: Testing the Grand Tack Model with Chromium Isotopic Composition of Almahata Sitta Stone 91A

There is an increasing number of Cr-O-Ti isotope studies that show solar system materials are divided into two main populations, one carbonaceous chondrite (CC)-like and the other is non-carbonaceous (NC)-like, with minimal mixing attributed to a gap opened in the protoplanetary disk due to Jupiter's formation. The Grand Tack model suggests there should be large-scale mixing between S- and C-type asteroids, an idea supported by our recent work on chondrule (Delta)17O-ε54Cr isotope systematics. The Almahata Sitta (AhS) meteorite provides a unique opportunity to test the Grand Tack model. The meteorite fell to Earth in October 2008 and has been linked to the asteroid 2008 TC3 which was discovered just prior to the fall of the AhS stones. The AhS meteorite is composed of up to 700 individual pieces with approx.140 of those pieces having some geochemical and/or petrologic studies. Almahata Sitta is an anomalous polymict ureilite with other meteorite components, including enstatite, ordinary, and carbonaceous chondrites with an approximate abundance of 70% ureilites and 30% chondrites. This observation has lead to the suggestion that TC3 2008 was a loosely aggregated rubble pile-like asteroid with the non-ureilite sample clasts within the rubble-pile. Due to the loosely-aggregated nature of AhS, the object disintegrated during atmospheric entry resulting in the weakly held clasts falling predominantly as individual stones in the AhS collection area. However, recent work has identified one sample of AhS, sample 91A, which may represent two different lithologies coexisting within a single stone. The predominate lithology type in 91A appears to be that of a C2 chondrite based on mineralogy but also contains olivine, pyroxene, and albite that have ureilite-like compositions. Previous Cr isotope investigations into AhS stones are sparse and what data is available show nearly uniform isotopic composition similar to that of typical ureilites with negative ε54Cr values.

Sanborn, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Impact into Coarse Grained Spheres

Several experimental studies [1,2,3] indicate that differences in the grain size of the target relative to the projectile could influence the cratering process. Impacts into coarse sand grains of size comparable to the projectile show some discrepancies with existing relationships for crater growth [e.g. 4]. Similarly, targets of ne grained, uniform in diameter glass spheres show differences in crater depth, transient crater diameter, and volume of ejecta excavated as a function of grain size [2,3]. The purpose of this work is to continue investigating how the relative grain size may influence early time coupling between a projectile and target, with implications for subsequent ejecta excavation and crater growth. In previous efforts we used numerical techniques to focus on the propagation of shock waves in coarse, granular media emphasizing the influence of relative grain size on crater growth, ejecta production, cratering efficiency, target strength, and crater shape [5,6,7]. In this study, we use experimental techniques - in part as a reality check for the numerical studies - to report on how coarse grained targets might influence ejecta excavation and crater shape. This body of work possesses important implications for ejecta excavation and cratering efficiency on asteroids that may possess rubble pile-like structures, and on planets that may possess either pre-fractured surfaces or large-scale heterogeneities in shock impedance.

Barnouin-Jha, O. S.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Environmentally-Friendly Fixatives with Embedded Intelligence for Dust Management at Contaminated Sites – 21266

Wind or rain can potentially spread loose hazardous contaminants from piles of rubble and soil waiting to be trucked to a landfill site for disposal. Water, which is plentiful near remediation sites, is the traditional dust suppressant during demolition, post-demolition sizing and encapsulation as well as soil trucking activities. However, water can mobilize the toxic metal contaminants in the soil into the ground water. Ground water is highly regulated and contaminant removal is costly. InnoSense LLC (ISL) is developing DustSafe™ as a cost-effective alternative to water for various decontamination & decommissioning (D&D) applications. It is a sprayable dust abatement solution designed to actively trap, remediate, and aid in visualizing hazardous materials while preventing their dispersion by wind, water or impact. Aside from application as a dust suppressant to trap airborne toxic and radiological hazards during demolition activities, with customization DustSafe can be used to locate/characterize and remediate hazards prior to D&D activities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗