期刊
ACTA ASTRONAUTICA
卷 212, 期 -, 页码 213-225出版社
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.07.035
关键词
D-type asteroids; Comets; Near-earth objects; Sample return; Asteroid-comet continuum; Solar system evolution; Astrobiology
D-type asteroids are primitive small bodies that can provide insights into the early solar system evolution and the origins of water and life on Earth. CARINA mission aims to visit and collect samples from the D-type asteroid 2002 AT4, investigating its composition, dynamical evolution, and possible relation with comets. The return of these samples would contribute significantly to our meteorite collection.
D-type asteroids are among the most primitive small bodies of the solar system. Believed to be formed in the outer solar system, a minor fraction of these faint objects can be found in the near-Earth region. Some were suspected to be extinct comets disguised as asteroids. If D-type near-Earth asteroids could represent extinct comets, they would offer us a unique opportunity to investigate the relationship between two classes of minor bodies in our solar system. To provide new insights into D-type asteroids' composition and dynamical evolution and the possible relation with comets, we introduce the mission concept CARINA (Comet Asteroid Relation INvestigation and Analysis). CARINA will visit and collect a sample from the asteroid 2002 AT4 and address key scientific questions related to our understanding of the early solar system evolution, and the origins of water and life on the early Earth. This paper outlines the scientific motivation and the means for the sample return. The spacecraft is equipped with a sampling ring to perform in-situ analysis and to collect, in a touch and gomanner, samples from the surface and subsurface of the asteroid. A capsule is expected to return the samples to Earth in pristine conditions for detailed and extended analysis. These would represent a rare contribution to our meteorite collection since it would be the first time that material from a D class asteroid would be collected.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据