Space dust collisions as a planetary escape mechanism
arXiv:1711.01895 · doi:10.1089/ast.2017.1662
Abstract
It is observed that hypervelocity space dust, which is continuously bombarding the Earth, creates immense momentum flows in the atmosphere. Some of this fast space dust inevitably will interact with the atmospheric system, transferring energy and moving particles around, with various possible consequences. This paper examines, with supporting estimates, the possibility that through collisions, the Earth-grazing component of space dust can facilitate planetary escape of atmospheric particles, whether they be the atoms and molecules forming the atmosphere or bigger sized particles. As one interesting outcome, floating in the Earth's atmosphere are a variety of particles containing the telltale signs of Earth's organic story, including microbial life and life essential molecules. This paper will assess the ability for this space dust collision mechanism to propel some of these biological constituents into space.
arXiv comment10 pages, 2 figures, In Press Astrobiology 2017
Cited by in corpus (5)
- Implications of Captured Interstellar Objects for Panspermia and Extraterrestrial Life
- Dynamical and biological panspermia constraints within multi-planet exosystems
- On the force of vertical winds in the upper atmosphere -- consequences for small biological particles
- Rogue Vertical Drafts in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere: Evidence and Implications
- Detecting microbiology in the upper atmosphere: relative-velocity filtered sampling