Small-body deflection techniques using spacecraft: techniques in simulating the fate of ejecta

Abstract

We define a set of procedures to numerically study the fate of ejecta produced by the impact of an artificial projectile with the aim of deflecting an asteroid. Here we develop a simplified, idealized model of impact conditions that can be adapted to fit the details of specific deflection-test scenarios, such as what is being proposed for the AIDA project. Ongoing studies based upon the methodology described here can be used to inform observational strategies and safety conditions for an observing spacecraft. To account for ejecta evolution, the numerical strategies we are employing are varied and include a large N-Body component, a smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) component, and an application of impactor scaling laws. Simulations that use SPH-derived initial conditions show high-speed ejecta escaping at low angles of inclination, and very slowly moving ejecta lofting off the surface at higher inclination angles, some of which re-impacts the small-body surface. We are currently investigating the realism of this and other models' behaviors. Next steps will include the addition of solar perturbations to the model and applying the protocol developed here directly to specific potential mission concepts such as the proposed AIDA scenario.

19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research, Special Issue: Asteroids & Space Debris

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• Realistic On-The-Fly Outcomes of Planetary Collisions: Machine Learning Applied to Simulations of Giant Impacts
• An N-body approach to modeling debris and ejecta off small bodies: Implementation and application
• Weak S-type asteroids compared to C-type explain the observed size distribution of the main belt