[meteorite-list] NEAR Shoemaker and Anomolous surface features on 433 Eros

From: Sam Kimpton <bessel_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:41:09 2004
Message-ID: <3A87E5E1.A48E079C_at_europa.com>

Well the deorbit burn is a little over two hours away and I am so
excited I can hardly contain myself.

I was looking over the CCNet Special on the event and noted a recuring
theme appearing there.

The flat smooth layers of regolith in the floors of small craters and
the disintegrated material surounding boulders on the surface.

It strikes me as strange that the latter would be set in contrast from
what has been seen before.
I distinctly remember the presence of "fillets" of regolith surrounding
boulders on the lunar surface being noted during the Apollo missions.
This material was regarded as the product of impact comminution by
micrometeoroid bombardment.

The flat depositional regolith units in the floors of small crater could
be the result of radiative transfer i.e. the transfer of regolith from
regions near the lip of the craters to the depressions within them by
ejection by micrometeorid bombardment.

Certainly the gravitational field of Eros is less than that encoountered
on the moon and this may effect
the mechanics of the above processes somewhat but I don't see why it
should preclude there occurance.

Also the micrometeoroid flux in regions covered by 433Eros' orbit over
time may be more dense than encountered in the region of the Earth moon
system.

Has these ideas been considered by anyone else on this list?
Received on Mon 12 Feb 2001 08:32:17 AM PST