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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Evidence of Space Weathering in Regolith Breccias II: Asteroidal Regolith Breccias

Space weathering products, such as agglutinates and nanophaase iron-bearing rims are easily preserved through lithifcation in lunar regolith breccias, thus such products, if produced, should be preserved in asteroidal regotith breccias as well. A study of representative regolith breecia meteorites, Fayetteville (H4) and Kapoeta (howardite), was undertaken to search for physical evidence of space weathering on asteroids. Amorphous or npFe(sup 0)-bearing rim cannot be positively identified in Fayetteville, although possible glass rims were found. Extensive friction melt was discovered in the meteorite that is difficult to differentiate from weathered materials. Several melt products, including spherules and agglutinates, as well as one irradiated rim and one possible npFe(sup 0)-bearing rim were identified in Kapoeta. The existence of these products suggests that lunar-like space weathering processes are, or have been, active on asteroids.

Noble, Sarah K.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Measuring the Shock Stage of Asteroid Regolith Grains by Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction

We have been analyzing Itokawa samples in order to definitively establish the degree of shock experienced by the regolith of asteroid Itokawa, and to devise a bridge between shock determinations by standard light optical petrography, crystal structures as determined by electron and X-ray diffraction. These techniques would then be available for samples returned from other asteroid regoliths.

Zolensky, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1982

The stochastic variability of asteroidal regolith depths

Modeling the depth of regolith on asteroids is approached from a statistical point of view. It is demonstrated that average values are not good descriptors of regolith depth on asteroids. Large deviations from the average can be expected to occur due to both large variations in depth over the surface of a body and to the fact that each asteroid has a unique regolith. The utility of the average depth is not significantly increased by excluding the parts of a surface which are occupied by large craters; a procedure adopted in existing regolith models. Although an asteroid's surface may be 'smoothed out' by movement of debris into gravitationally low spots, the regolith depth retains its variability because of variations in topography at the bottom of the regolith layer. The large variability associated with regolith depth severely limits the power of regolith models in predicting parent body size for the brecciated meteorites.

Housen, K. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Asteroidal regoliths - What we do not know

Most of the knowledge of asteroidal regoliths is based on extensive studies of the lunar regolith and the meteorite regolith breccias and on theoretical models designed to match some characteristics of these two types of samples. Two major factors that affect the production and evolution of regolith and make these efforts problematical are changes of regolith properties with time, because of changes in the flux and velocity of impactors, and changes due to the location of the object in the solar system and the strength of the local gravity field. It is emphasized that, at present, not enough data are available on the processes operating on asteroids to be able to define the asteroidal regolith properties; such data can be obtained by missions to individual asteroids.

Mckay, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Samples from Differentiated Asteroids; Regolithic Achondrites

Differentiated and partially differentiated asteroids preserve a glimpse of planet formation frozen in time from the early solar system and thus are attractive targets for future exploration. Samples of such asteroids arrive to Earth in the form of achondrite meteorites. Many achondrites, particularly those thought to be most representative of asteroidal regolith, contain a diverse assortment of materials both indigenous and exogenous to the original igneous parent body intermixed at microscopic scales. Remote sensing spacecraft and landers would have difficulty deciphering individual components at these spatial scales, potentially leading to confusing results. Sample return would thus be much more informative than a robotic probe. In this and a companion abstract [1] we consider two regolithic achondrite types, howardites and (polymict) ureilites, in order to evaluate what materials might occur in samples returned from surfaces of differentiated asteroids and what sampling strategies might be prudent.

Herrin J. S.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Constraints on Exposure Ages of Lunar and Asteroidal Regolith Particles

Mineral grains in lunar and asteroidal regolith samples provide a unique record of their interaction with the space environment. Exposure to the solar wind results in implantation effects that are preserved in the rims of grains (typically the outermost 100 nm), while impact processes result in the accumulation of vapor-deposited elements, impact melts and adhering grains on particle surfaces. These processes are collectively referred to as space weathering. A critical element in the study of these processes is to determine the rate at which these effects accumulate in the grains during their space exposure. For small particulate samples, one can use the density of solar flare particle tracks to infer the length of time the particle was at the regolith surface (i.e., its exposure age). We have developed a new technique that enables more accurate determination of solar flare particle track densities in mineral grains <50 micron in size that utilizes focused ion beam (FIB) sample preparation combined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging. We have applied this technique to lunar soil grains from the Apollo 16 site (soil 64501) and most recently to samples from asteroid 25143 Itokawa returned by the Hayabusa mission. Our preliminary results show that the Hayabusa grains have shorter exposure ages compared to typical lunar soil grains. We will use these techniques to re-examine the track density-exposure age calibration from lunar samples reported by Blanford et al. (1975).

Berger, Eve L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The stochastic evolution of asteroidal regoliths and the origin of brecciated and gas-rich meteorites

A model is constructed which views regolith evolution on asteroids as a stochastic process. Average values are shown to be poor descriptors of regolith depth. The utility of the average depth is not significantly increased by avoiding large craters or thick ejecta deposits, a procedure adopted in previous regolith studies. The statistical uncertainty associated with regolith depth severely limits the power of regolith models in predicting parent-body size for brecciated meteorites. A Monte Carlo algorithm was used to simulate the random walks and corresponding charged-particle irradiation histories of grains in regoliths. On rocky asteroids, only about 20 percent of the grains was exposed to solar cosmic ray ions. Results based on present-day conditions in the asteroid belt agree well with irradiation features observed in gas-rich meteorites. An origin during epochs of early solar system evolution is not required.

Housen, K. R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Brazil Nuts on Eros: Size-Sorting of Asteroid Regolith

We consider the hypothesis that frequent cratering produces size- or compositionally-sorted asteroid regolith, affecting the structure, texture, and in extreme cases the shape of asteroids. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Asphaug, E.↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Nature of C Asteroid Regolith from Meteorite Observations

Regolith from C (and related) asteroid bodies are a focus of the current missions Dawn at Ceres, Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS REx. An asteroid as large as Ceres is expected to be covered by a mature regolith, and as Hayabusa demonstrated, flat and therefore engineeringly-safe ponded deposits will probably be the sampling sites for both Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS REx. Here we examine what we have learned about the mineralogy of fine-grained asteroid regolith from recent meteorite studies and the examination of the samples harvested from asteroid Itokawa by Hayabusa.

Zolensky, M.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Impact Record of a Asteroid Regolith Recorded in a Carbonaceous Chrondrite

C-class asteroids frequently exhibit reflectance spectra consistent with thermally metamor-phosed carbonaceous chondrites [1], or a mixture of phyllosilicate-rich material along with regions where they are absent [2]. One particularly important example appears to be asteroid 162173 Ryugu, the target of the Hayabusa 2 mission [1], although most spectra of Ryugu are featureless, suggesting a heterogeneous regolith [3]. Here we explore an alternative cause of dehydration of regolith of C-class asteroids - impact shock melting. Impact shock melting has been proposed to ex-plain some mineralogical characteristics of CB chondrites [4], but has rarely been considered a major process for hydrous carbonaceous chondrites [5]. Jbilet Winselwan (JW) is a very fresh CM breccia from Morocco, with intriguing characteristics. While some lithologies are typical of CM2s (Figure 1, top), other clasts show evidence of brief, though significant impact brecciation and heating. The first evidence for this came from preliminary petrographic and stable isotope studies [6,7]. We contend that highly-brecciated, partially-shocked, and dehydrated lithologies like those in JW dominate C-class asteroid regolith.

Zolensky, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1979

Asteroidal regoliths

A physical model is developed for the evolution of regoliths on small bodies and applied to the asteroid and meteorite parent bodies. The model considers global deposition of that fraction of cratering ejecta that is not lost to space. In addition, it is applied to cases of both strong, cohesive bodies and to bodies of weak, unconsolidated materials. It is found that large, strong asteroids generate surficial regoliths of a few kilometers depth while strong asteroids smaller than 10-km diameter generate negligible regoliths. In conclusion, it is noted that the theory that substantial regoliths are produced predominantly by blanketing differs from earlier hypotheses that asteroidal regoliths might be thin or absent and that short surface exposure of asteroidal materials is due chiefly to erosion rather than blanketing.

Housen, K. R.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Measurement of Cohesion in Asteroid Regolith Materials

There is increasing evidence that a large fraction of asteroids, and even Phobos, have such low densities (<2 g/cu cm) that the are unlikely to be consolidated rocks in space.-Water is unlikely due to close orbits to the sun. Instead, many of these asteroids are thought to be made up of unconsolidated smaller particles of varying size referred to as rubble piles. Images of the asteroid Itokawa reinforce this hypothesis. What holds the rubble piles together? Gravitational forces alone are not strong enough to hold together rubble pile asteroids, at least not those that are rapidly spinning Van der Waals forces and or Electrostatic forces must therefore be responsible for holding them together. Previous work suggests that electrostatic forces, which are orders of magnitude stronger are far more likely. Charge build-up is a likely consequence of the interaction of airless bodies with the solar wind plasma, analogous to what has been proposed to occur on the moon. Objective: Experimentally measure cohesive forces relevant to those holding rubble pile asteroids together

meteorites↗
NASA NTRS2023

Investigating the Role of Incident Ion Flux in Solar Wind Space Weathering of Carbon-Rich Asteroidal Regolith Via H+ and He+ Irradiation of the Murchison Meteorite

We present results from a set of low and high flux 1 keV/amu H + and He + irradiation experiments performed on slabs of the Murchison CM2 carbonaceous chondrite. The low flux conditions for H + and He + irradiation were ~1-1.5 orders of magnitude lower than the high flux conditions, and each experiment was irradiated to a total fluence between ~3 × 10 16 to ~6 × 10 16 ions/cm 2 . Irradiation-induced changes in the surface chemistry and optical properties of the Murchison samples were evaluated using in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIR). We characterized the microstructure and composition of ion damaged rims in focused ion beam (FIB) cross-sections extracted from olivine and matrix material in each irradiated Murchison slab using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XPS results suggest that both low flux and high flux H + and He + irradiation cause minor sputtering of surface carbon as well as a reduction in the valence state of iron, from Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ . Slope bluing is observed in VNIR spectra of the irradiated samples which may reflect carbonization and dehydrogenation of organic species and contrasts with reddening trends associated with npFe 0 formation. Although we do not observe a strong flux-dependence on the crystallinity of ion-damaged olivine, TEM analyses reveal a variety of microstructures in all olivine FIB-sections, suggesting that crystallographic orientation affects amorphization efficiency. Analyses of matrix FIB-sections indicate that phyllosilicate alteration is mainly driven by He+ irradiation, where the higher incident flux leads to greater amorphization and the formation of more distinct ion-damaged layers, similar to smooth layers in returned Ryugu particles. TEM results also provide some evidence that higher ion flux leads to greater vesiculation, with He + irradiation being more efficient at vesiculation than H + irradiation, and that higher ion flux may promote the segregation of Mg and Si into laterally extensive lenses and layers in olivine samples. We discuss the implications of these findings for constraining the role that ion flux plays in the development of space weathering characteristics in silicate phases present in carbonaceous asteroidal regoliths. These results will be important for understanding the complexity of this process and how it operates on carbon-rich airless bodies like asteroids Bennu and Ryugu.

meteorites↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Nature of C Asteroid Regolith Revealed from the Jbilet Winselwan CM Chondrite

C-class asteroids frequently exhibit reflectance spectra consistent with thermally metamorphosed carbonaceous chondrites, or a mixture of phyllosilicate-rich material along with regions where they are absent. One particularly important example appears to be asteroid 162173 Ryugu, the target of the Hayabusa 2 mission, although most spectra of Ryugu are featureless, suggesting a heterogeneous regolith. Here we explore an alternative cause of dehydration of regolith of C-class asteroids - impact shock melting. Impact shock melting has been proposed to ex-plain some mineralogical characteristics of CB chondrites, but has rarely been considered a major process for hydrous carbonaceous chondrites.

Zolensky, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2017

Measurement of Cohesion in Asteroid Regolith Materials

A study has been initiated to examine cohesive forces in asteroid materials to contribute to a better understanding of low density bodies such as asteroids and Phobos, and assist in exploration missions involving interaction with their surface material. The test specimen used in this study was a lightly weathered CM2 meteorite which is spectroscopically similar to Type C (carbonaceous) asteroids, and thought to have representative surface chemistry. To account for sample heterogeneity, adhesion forces were measured between the CM2 sample and its five primary mineral phase components. These adhesive forces bound the range of cohesive force that can be expected for the bulk material. All materials were characterized using a variety of optical and spectroscopic methods. Adhesive forces on the order of 50 to 400 μN were measured using a torsion balance in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber. The mineral samples exhibited clearly different adhesive strengths in the following hierarchy: Serpentine > Siderite > Bronzite > Olivine ≈ Fe-Ni.

Asteroids↗
NASA NTRS2013

Tools for Asteroid Regolith Operations

This RFI response is targeting Area 5. Crew Systems for Asteroid Exploration: concepts for lightweight and low volume robotic and extra-vehicular activity (EVA) systems, such as space suits, tools, translation aids, stowage containers, and other equipment.The NASA KSC Surface Systems Office, Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) Lab and the Electrostatics Surface Physics Lab (ESPL) are dedicated to developing technologies for operating in regolith environments on target body surfaces. We have identified two technologies in our current portfolio that are highly relevant and useful for crews that will visit a re-directed asteroid in Cis-Lunar Space. Both technologies are at a high TRL of 56 and could be rapidly implemented in time for an ARM mission in this decade.

Mueller, Robert P.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

LON 94101 Provides a Unique Record of C-Class Asteroid Regolith Diversity

LON 94101 and its pairing mate LON 94102 are two of the largest CM finds, with a collective mass of 3.8kg.Over the years we noticed that every section of these meteorites appeared significantly different. These stones are highly brecciated and display an unprecedented range of CM lithologies [1-3, and numerous other papers]. They thus record direct information regarding the physical and petrologic characteristics of the CM parent asteroid(s) at the greatest scale observable from meteorites. Still unanswered questions are what the typical clast size was for each lithology, and what the full range of CM textures in LON 94101 could be. We were also interested in learning whether there were xenoliths in these breccias, these being apparently unknown for CM chondrites. Detailed characterization of an especially large sample is required to address these issues. This abstract reports results of the initial characterization of one large sample of LON 94101.

Michael Zolensky↗
NASA NTRS1992

The -SiH vibrational stretch as an indicator of the oxidation state of silicon in a cometary or asteroidal regolith

It has been experimentally shown that the position of the -SiH fundamental vibrational stretch is very sensitive to the chemical environment surrounding the Si atom. Si in an oxidizing environment will display an -SiH feature near 4.4 microns, whereas Si in a reducing grain could be responsible for a feature at 4.74 microns. It is further shown that, as an oxidized grain is reduced, the -SiH fundamental shifts to longer wavelengths through a series of intermediate bands.

Nuth, Joseph A., III↗