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Abstract: The majority of extraterrestrial particles entering Earth’s atmosphere originate from the Sporadic Meteoroid Complex (SMC) and are associated with many mesospheric layer phenomena. The Meteoroid Input Function (MIF) is a model that has been developed with the purpose of understanding the temporal and spatial variability of the meteoroid impact in the atmosphere. The MIF has been shown to accurately predict the seasonal and diurnal variations of the meteor flux observed by High Power Large Aperture (HPLA) radars at various geographic locations, including the Arecibo Observatory (AO) and the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR). For this, the model requires the assessment of a potential observational bias of the particular HPLA radar utilized: the minimum detectable radar cross-section (RCS). The RCS sensitivity threshold provides a metric to characterize the radar system’s ability to detect particles with a given mass and speed. In this paper, the MIF model was used to predict meteor properties (e.g. the distributions of areal density, speed, and radiant location) observed by the Middle and Upper atmosphere (MU) radar while leveraging the system’s interferometric capability to address the model’s ability to predict meteor observations at middle geographic latitudes and for a radar operating frequency in the low VHF band. This study demonstrates that the MIF accurately considered the speed and sporadic source distributions for the portion of the meteoroid population observable by the MU radar, and the applicability of the MIF to the MU system increases the confidence of using it as a global model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: NASA’s Dawn spacecraft observations of Asteroid (4) Vesta reveal a surface with the highest albedo and color variation of any asteroid we have observed so far. Terrains rich in low albedo dark material (DM) have been identified using Dawn Framing Camera (FC) 0.75μm filter images in several geologic settings: associated with impact craters (in the ejecta blanket material and/or on the crater walls and rims); as flow-like deposits or rays commonly associated with topographic highs; and as dark spots (likely secondary impacts) nearby impact craters. This DM could be a relic of ancient volcanic activity or exogenic in origin. We report that the majority of the spectra of DM are similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites mixed with materials indigenous to Vesta. Using high-resolution seven color images we compared DM color properties (albedo, band depth) with laboratory measurements of possible analog materials. Band depth and albedo of DM are identical to those of carbonaceous chondrite xenolith-rich howardite Mt. Pratt (PRA) 04401. Laboratory mixtures of Murchison CM2 carbonaceous chondrite and basaltic eucrite Millbillillie also show band depth and albedo affinity to DM. Modeling of carbonaceous chondrite abundance in DM (1–6vol.%) is consistent with howardite meteorites. We find no evidence for large-scale volcanism (exposed dikes/pyroclastic falls) as the source of DM. Our modeling efforts using impact crater scaling laws and numerical models of ejecta reaccretion suggest the delivery and emplacement of this DM on Vesta during the formation of the ∼400km Veneneia basin by a low-velocity (<2km/s) carbonaceous impactor. This discovery is important because it strengthens the long-held idea that primitive bodies are the source of carbon and probably volatiles in the early Solar System. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This is the first focused study of non-Eos K asteroids. We have observed a total of 30 K-complex objects (12 K-2 Sk- and 13 Xk-type asteroids (from the Bus taxonomy), plus 3 K-candidates from previous work) and we present an analysis of their spectral properties from 0.4 to 2.5 μm. We targeted these asteroids because their previous observations are spectrally similar enough to suggest a possible compositional relationship. All objects have exhibited spectral redness in the visible wavelengths and minor absorptions near 1 micron. If, as suggested, K-complex asteroids (including K, Xk, and Sk) are the parent bodies of carbonaceous meteorites, knowledge of K-asteroid properties and distribution is essential to our understanding of the cosmochemical importance of some of the most primitive meteorite materials in our collection. This paper presents initial results of our analysis of telescopic data, with supporting analysis of laboratory measurements of meteorite analogs. Our results indicate that K-complex asteroids are distinct from other main belt asteroid types (S, B, C, F, and G). They do not appear to be a subset of these other types. K asteroids nearly span the range of band center positions and geometric albedos exhibited by the carbonaceous chondrites (CO, CM, CV, CH, CK, CR, and CI). We find that B-, C-, F- and G-type asteroids tend to be darker than meteorites, and can have band centers longer than any of the chondrites measured here. This could indicate that K-complex asteroids are better spectral analogues for the majority of our carbonaceous meteorites than the traditional B-, C-, F- and G-matches suggested in the literature. This paper present first results of our ongoing survey to determine K-type mineralogy, meteorite linkages, and significance to the geology of the asteroid regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]