Ejecta distribution and momentum transfer from oblique impacts on asteroid surfaces

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission will impact its target asteroid, Dimorphos, at an oblique angle that will not be known prior to the impact. We computed iSALE-3D simulations of DART-like impacts on asteroid surfaces at different impact angles and found that the vertical momentum transfer efficiency, beta, is similar for different impact angles, however, the imparted momentum is reduced as the impact angle decreases. It is expected that the momentum imparted from a 45 impact is reduced by up to 50% compared to a vertical impact. The direction of the ejected momentum is not normal to the surface, however it is observed to 'straighten up' with crater growth. iSALE-2D simulations of vertical impacts provide context for the iSALE-3D simulation results and show that the ejection angle varies with both target properties and with crater growth. While the ejection angle is relatively insensitive to the target porosity, it varies by up to 30 with target coefficient of internal friction. The simulation results presented in this paper can help constrain target properties from the DART crater ejecta cone, which will be imaged by the LICIACube. The results presented here represent the basis for an empirical scaling relationship for oblique impacts and can be used as a framework to determine an analytical approximation of the vertical component of the ejecta momentum, beta-1, given known target properties.

Automated summary

NASA's DART mission will impact the asteroid Dimorphos at an unknown oblique angle. Simulations using iSALE-3D showed that the efficiency of momentum transfer is similar for different impact angles, but the imparted momentum decreases as the impact angle decreases. The ejected momentum is initially not normal to the surface, but aligns with crater growth. iSALE-2D simulations of vertical impacts provide context for the 3D simulation results and show that the ejection angle varies with target properties and crater growth. These findings can help determine the properties of the target asteroid and guide imaging using the LICIACube.