Abstract: Asteroids in the main belt are a diverse population of early solar system remnants, recording both primordial conditions and later dynamical events. Despite their orbital similarities, main-belt asteroids exhibit a wide range of compositional classes indicating possible origins in different parts of the solar system. Particularly exciting is the recent identification of extremely red asteroids that have been proposed to originate in the trans-Neptunian object (TNO) population. The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid belt (EMA) is planned to visit seven main-belt asteroids, focusing on water- and carbon-rich bodies with high scientific potential. This first-ever main belt tour culminates in a rendezvous with (269) Justitia, a possible captured TNO with one of the reddest spectra of any asteroid. EMA will carry four remote sensing instruments to investigate the surface composition, temperatures, and geologic histories of the seven asteroids. A LASP-built energetic particle detector will measure the solar wind at various heliocentric distances and longitudes throughout the mission. In this talk, I will discuss the science objectives for the EMA mission and how its success will answer high-priority questions about the origins and evolution of our planetary system.
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For more info: https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/events-and-outreach/lasp-science-seminars/
Address Info:
LASP – Space Science Building
SPSC-W120
3665 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303
Map: https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maps/spsc-w120/