PLANETARY SCIENCE A weak and active surface of Bennu

Article Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Crater population on asteroid (101955) Bennu indicates impact armouring and a young surface

E. B. Bierhaus et al.

Summary: This study investigates the impact of impactor characteristics and target surface physics on crater formation on the asteroid Bennu. The results show that the population of boulders controls the transition from crater formation to armouring. The estimated crater retention age of Bennu's surface is significantly younger than previous estimates.

NATURE GEOSCIENCE (2022)

Add to Collection

Article Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Low surface strength of the asteroid Bennu inferred from impact ejecta deposit

M. E. Perry et al.

Summary: Observations of deposits associated with a crater on the rubble-pile asteroid Bennu suggest a surface with low strength that is easily reworked by impacts. The discovery of a downslope avalanche also indicates a surface composed of materials that can be easily mobilized by impacts and may have undergone multiple renewals since Bennu's initial assembly.

NATURE GEOSCIENCE (2022)

Add to Collection

Article Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Alignment of fractures on Bennu's boulders indicative of rapid asteroid surface evolution

Marco Delbo et al.

Summary: Fractures on the asteroid Bennu imaged by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft are consistent with cracking induced by diurnal temperature variations over geologically rapid timescales.

NATURE GEOSCIENCE (2022)

Add to Collection

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences