Radar observations and shape model of asteroid 16 Psyche

Shepard, Michael K.; Richardson, James E.; Taylor, Patrick A.; Rodriguez-Ford, Linda A.; Conrad, Al; Pater, Imke de; Ádámkovics, Máté; Kleer, K. de; Males, Jared R.; Morzinski, Katie M.; Close, Laird M.; Kaasalainen, M.; Viikinkoski, Matti; Timerson, Bradley; Reddy, V.; Magri, C.; Nolan, M. C.; Howell, E. S.; Benner, L. A. M.; Giorgini, Jon D.; Warner, Brian D.; Harris, Alan W.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2016.08.011

Cited by 101 publications

(164 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The mantle has a uniform thickness, which is a free parameter ranging from 0-80 km. This two-layer structure with uniform thickness is simple, and Psyche is almost certainly more complex as a result of factors like impact-induced mixing and topography, which has been putatively detected 6 . Nonetheless, this model serves to estimate how much rocky material would be needed to match density estimates 5 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Ferrovolcanism on metal worlds and the origin of pallasites

2019

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As differentiated planetesimals cool, their cores can solidify from the outside-in1, as evidenced by paleomagnetic measurements and cooling rate estimates of iron meteorites2,3.The details of outside-in solidification and fate of residual core melt are poorly understood.For a core primarily composed of Fe and Ni alloyed with lighter constituent elements, like sulfur, such inward core growth would likely be achieved by growth of solid FeNi dendrites4. Growth of FeNi dendrites results in interconnected pockets of residual melt that becomeprogressively enriched in sulfur up to a eutectic composition of 31 wt% sulfur as FeNi continues to solidify4. Here we show that regions of residual sulfur-enriched FeNi melt in the core attain sufficient excess pressures to propagate via dikes into the mantle. Thus, core material will intrude into the overlying rocky mantle or possibly even erupt onto the plantesimal's surface. We refer to these processes collectively as "ferrovolcanism". Our calculation show that ferrovolcanic surface eruptions are more likely on bodies with mantles less than 50 km thick. We show that intrusive ferromagmatism can produce pallasites, an enigmatic class of meteorites composed of olivine crystals entrained in a matrix of FeNi metal4. Ferrovolcanic eruptions may explain the observations that Psyche has a bulk density inconsistent with iron metorites5 yet shows evidence of a metallic surface composition6.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Ferrovolcanism on metal worlds and the origin of pallasites

2019

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“…This study provided the exploration of the dynamical environment around and on the surface of the asteroid (16) Psyche, the target of a future space mission. Firstly, we exposed the shape model of the object and its physical properties, highlighting the discordance in the density value (Shepard et al 2017;Drummond et al 2018;Viikinkoski et al 2018). Then we define the gravitational potential using the polyhe-dra method and then present the geopotential computed on the surface of the body.…”

Section: Final Commentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scheeres et al (2016) when studying the dynamic environment of (101955) Bennu also analyzed the behavior of the equilibrium points when the density was changed. In this paper, in addition to discussing the characteristics of the geophysical environment of (16) Psyche, we will also present a study of the equilibrium points through density change, and for this, we will use the extreme cases since it is a parameter still uncertain (Shepard et al 2017;Drummond et al 2018;Viikinkoski et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamical Environment and Surface Characteristics of Asteroid (16) Psyche

Moura

Winter

Amarante

et al. 2019

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Radar observations show that (16) Psyche is one of the largest and most massive asteroids of the M-class located in the main belt, with a diameter of approximately 230 km. This fact makes Psyche a unique object since observations indicated an ironnickel composition. It is believed that this body may be what was left of a metal core of an early planet that would have been fragmented over millions of years due to violent collisions. In this work we study a variety of dynamical aspects related to the surface, as well as, the environment around this asteroid. We use computational tools to explore the gravitational field generated by this body, assuming constant values for its density and rotation period. We then determine a set of physical and dynamical characteristics over its entire surface. The results include the geometric altitude, geopotential altitude, tilt, slope, among others. We also explore the neighborhood around the asteroid (16) Psyche, so that the location and linear stability of the equilibrium points were found. We found four external equilibrium points, two of them linearly stable. We confirmed the stability of these points by performing numerical simulations of massless particles around the asteroid, which also showed an asymmetry in the size of the stable regions. In addition, we integrate a cloud of particles in the vicinity of (16) Psyche in order to verify in which regions of its surface the particles are most likely to collide.

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“…Psyche's high radar albedo and high density indicate that it is a metallic (Mtype) asteroid [4]. Psyche's orbit has a semi-major axis of 2.9 AU, located in the main asteroid belt.…”

Section: A Psyche's Physical Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Psyche has an irregular shape. There have been previous estimates of Psyche's shape, however, the reference shape for the mission is taken from the Shepard model [4] with maximum dimensions 279 km × 232 km × 189 km and an effective diameter of 226 km.…”

Section: A Psyche's Physical Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psyche Science Operations Concept: Maximize Reuse to Minimize Risk

Polanskey

Elkins-Tanton

Jaumann

et al. 2018

2018 SpaceOps Conference

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and the Psyche TeamIn January 2017, the Psyche mission concept was selected as the 14th in NASA's Discovery Program. The mission would explore the unique metallic asteroid, (16) Psyche, believed to be the exposed core of a larger planetesimal that was stripped of its rocky mantle through multiple collisions during the early formation of the solar system. While the scientific goals of the Psyche mission concept are novel, the approach to science and mission operations is adapted from the earlier Dawn mission. Psyche shares two major attributes with Dawn, also Discovery class, that makes Dawn an obvious template. Both missions orbit massive bodies in the main asteroid belt with previously unmeasured gravity fields, and both utilize solar electric propulsion. The Dawn operations concept was developed over many years, coming to completion while the spacecraft was en route to the first target, protoplanet (4) Vesta. Because these concepts were demonstrated in flight, the Psyche team was able to reuse them to realize a plan of similar fidelity during the first phase of proposal development. Understanding the operations concept to this level of detail during mission formulation reduces the implementation risk of the Psyche mission.

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Radar observations and shape model of asteroid 16 Psyche

Cited by 101 publications

References 48 publications

Ferrovolcanism on metal worlds and the origin of pallasites

Ferrovolcanism on metal worlds and the origin of pallasites

Dynamical Environment and Surface Characteristics of Asteroid (16) Psyche

Psyche Science Operations Concept: Maximize Reuse to Minimize Risk

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