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M. Pajola et al., On 2022 September 26, the DART spacecraft will impact the surface of Dimorphos, the ∼160 m size satellite of the binary near-Earth asteroid (NEA) (65803) Didymos. What will be observed on the surfaces of both asteroids and at the DART impact site is largely unknown, beyond the details of Didymos revealed by previous Arecibo and Goldstone radar observations. We present here the expected DART and LICIACube observations of the Didymos system and discuss the planned mapping strategies. By searching similar geological features and processes identified on other NEAs, we constrain the impact conditions that DART might encounter at Dimorphos, assessing both the asteroid's surface and interior structure., This work was supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) within the LICIACube project (ASI-INAF agreement AC n. 2019-31-HH.0). This work was supported by the DART mission, NASA Contract No. 80MSFC20D0004. E.A. is funded by the University of Arizona. S.S. acknowledges support from NASA as part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Participating Scientist Program. J.M.T.-R. is funded by the research project (PGC2018-097374-B-I00), funded by FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación—Agencia Estatal de Investigación. P.M. acknowledges ESA as well as funding from the French space agency CNES, from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 870377 (project NEO-MAPP) and from the CNRS through the MITI interdisciplinary programs.

A planetary surface’s resistance to change is generally described as its “strength” (units of stress). The surface strength of small, rubble-pile asteroids, which consist of fragments of larger bodies that were collisionally disrupted, is poorly constrained due to their wide departure from terrestrial analogs. Here, we report the observation of an ejecta deposit surrounding an impact crater that limits the maximum surface strength of the near-Earth rubble-pile asteroid (101955) Bennu. The presence of this deposit implies that ejecta were mobilized with velocities less than the escape velocity of Bennu, 20 cm/s. Because ejecta velocities increase with surface strength, the ejecta deposit can only be explained if the effective strength of the surface material near the crater is exceedingly low, ≤100 Pa. This is three orders of magnitude below values commonly used for asteroid surfaces, but is supported by previous observations of an artificial impact crater on a similar asteroid, Ryugu. Our findings indicate a mobile surface that has likely been renewed multiple times since Bennu’s initial assembly and have far-reaching implications for interpreting observations of Bennu and other rubble piles.

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Using data acquired by the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer) mission, we investigate spectral properties of craters on the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu. We compare Bennu's craters with its global average by means of four spectral parameters: (a) minimum position of the band at 2.7 μm, (b) depth of the hydrated phyllosilicate absorption band at 2.7 μm, (c) normalized spectral slope from 0.55 to 2.0 μm, and (d) reflectance factor at 0.55 μm. We examine 45 craters using spectral data obtained under various observing conditions. For 20 craters, we find a shortward shift of the 2.7-μm band minimum relative to the global 2.7-μm band minimum, which we attribute to the presence of relatively fresh (less space-weathered) material excavated from the sub-surface by crater-forming impacts. For three craters, we find an anti-correlation between spectral slopes and reflectance factor for a series of spectra acquired during a specific scan, where we observe that spectra become redder and darker towards the center of the crater. We attribute this to the presence of fine-particulate regolith. Localized spectral heterogeneities are apparent inside a prominent equatorial crater on Bennu, which is one of the asteroid's oldest geological features. We propose that such local spectral heterogeneities could be used as a tracer of mass movement on Bennu. We show that younger craters are redder, brighter, and have deeper 2.7-μm bands. Comparing global average spectral values of Bennu and crater frequency distributions as a function of the chosen spectral parameters, we find that craters evolve to assume the global average spectral properties of Bennu. A positive correlation identified between the reflectance factor and 2.7-μm band depth suggests that brighter craters tend to be more hydrated. Finally, we put into context, the results from the Small Carry-on Impactor experiment by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, which created an artificial crater on the near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu.

International audience; Images of asteroids (162173) Ryugu and (101955) Bennu acquired by the Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions, respectively, reveal rocky worlds covered in rubble. These two asteroids do not have hydrostatic shapes, indicating that they possess some internal friction and/or cohesion even if they lack tensile strength. Understanding the deviation of the surfaces of these bodies from those of idealized shapes helps constrain the mechanical properties of their interiors. Here, we focus on the feedback between YORP-induced spin-up (in which asymmetric reflection and re-emission of solar radiation from the surface systematically change the rotation rate), long-wavelength topography (which provides a structure to control the orientation), and surface roughness on Ryugu and Bennu. By performing spherical harmonic analyses of the shapes of these two asteroids, we find that although they are superficially similar, they exhibit different long-wavelength topography that implies different internal structures and rotational histories. Bennu's shape and rotation rate require a modest amount of internal strength through some combination of at least 17° of internal friction or a few Pa of cohesion, whereas Ryugu could be nearly strengthless. Bennu's longitudinal ridges make it susceptible to YORP spin-up, consistent with the observed increase in rotation rate that is not seen on Ryugu. These longitudinal ridges also suggest a heterogeneous density structure for Bennu, consistent with gravity data.

International audience; Bennu is an~500-m-diameter rubble-pile asteroid that is the target of detailed study by the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission. Here we use data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter to assess depth-to-diameter ratios (d/D) of 108 impact craters larger than 10 m in diameter. The d/D of craters on Bennu ranges from 0.02 to 0.19. The mean is 0.10 ± 0.03. The smallest craters show the broadest range in d/D, consistent with d/D measurements on other asteroids. A few craters have central mounds, which is interpreted as evidence that a more competent substrate lies a few meters beneath them. The range of d/D narrows as crater size increases, with craters larger than 80 m tending toward smaller d/D. At large scales, increases in target strength with depth, combined with target curvature, may affect crater morphometry.

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a surface sample from Hokioi crater (55.8° N, 42.3° E; diameter ∼20 m) on the asteroid Bennu in 2020 October. We explore the geology of the sample collection site, known as Nightingale, by using digital terrain models, relative albedo maps, and images collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Hokioi crater sits at the northwest edge of an older, larger (120 m diameter) crater between two north–south ridges respectively located at roughly 0° and 90° longitude, between which unconsolidated material generally migrates from the geopotential high at the north (+Z) pole to the geopotential low at the equator. The impact that formed Hokioi crater exposed relatively unweathered, fine-grained dark material that we observe within and ejected beyond the crater. The regional slope and steep crater walls to the north of the Nightingale site have enabled a mix of the dark debris and brighter material (which may include carbonates and/or exogenic basalts) surrounding Hokioi crater to migrate onto the crater floor, where the sample was collected; some of this material may be old ejecta excavated from up to 10 m depth when the 120 m diameter crater formed. We therefore expect the OSIRIS-REx sample to include materials of varying brightnesses, compositions, and exposure ages, derived primarily from the 0°–90° longitude quadrant and from as deep as 10 m. The sample may also include material derived from the impactor that formed Hokioi crater. We expect it to have low cohesion (≪0.6 Pa) and a friction angle between 32° and 39°.

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An asteroid’s history is determined in large part by its strength against collisions with other objects1,2 (impact strength). Laboratory experiments on centimetre-scale meteorites3 have been extrapolated and buttressed with numerical simulations to derive the impact strength at the asteroid scale4,5. In situ evidence of impacts on boulders on airless planetary bodies has come from Apollo lunar samples6 and images of the asteroid (25143) Itokawa7. It has not yet been possible, however, to assess directly the impact strength, and thus the absolute surface age, of the boulders that constitute the building blocks of a rubble-pile asteroid. Here we report an analysis of the size and depth of craters observed on boulders on the asteroid (101955) Bennu. We show that the impact strength of metre-sized boulders is 0.44 to 1.7 megapascals, which is low compared to that of solid terrestrial materials. We infer that Bennu’s metre-sized boulders record its history of impact by millimetre- to centimetre-scale objects in near-Earth space. We conclude that this population of near-Earth impactors has a size frequency distribution similar to that of metre-scale bolides and originates from the asteroidal population. Our results indicate that Bennu has been dynamically decoupled from the main asteroid belt for 1.75 ± 0.75 million years. Analysis of the size and depth of craters on boulders on the asteroid (101955) Bennu indicates that Bennu has been in near-Earth space for 1.75 ± 0.75 million years.

When rubble-pile asteroid 2008 TC3 impacted Earth on 7 October 2008, the recovered rock fragments indicated that such asteroids can contain exogenic material1,2. However, spacecraft missions to date have only observed exogenous contamination on large, monolithic asteroids that are impervious to collisional disruption3,4. Here, we report the presence of metre-scale exogenic boulders on the surface of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu—the 0.5-km-diameter, rubble-pile target of the OSIRIS-REx mission5 that has been spectroscopically linked to the CM carbonaceous chondrite meteorites6. Hyperspectral data indicate that the exogenic boulders have the same distinctive pyroxene composition as the howardite–eucrite–diogenite (HED) meteorites that come from (4) Vesta, a 525-km-diameter asteroid that has undergone differentiation and extensive igneous processing7–9. Delivery scenarios include the infall of Vesta fragments directly onto Bennu or indirectly onto Bennu’s parent body, where the latter’s disruption created Bennu from a mixture of endogenous and exogenic debris. Our findings demonstrate that rubble-pile asteroids can preserve evidence of inter-asteroid mixing that took place at macroscopic scales well after planetesimal formation ended. Accordingly, the presence of HED-like material on the surface of Bennu provides previously unrecognized constraints on the collisional and dynamical evolution of the inner main belt. Six bright boulders of exotic material on near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu stand out from the average asteroidal surface. This unexpected record of impactors offers clues to the formation history of Bennu.

A lidar model of asteroid (101955) Bennu has a north-south asymmetry in shape and evidence of an early partial disruption., We investigate the shape of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu by constructing a high-resolution (20 cm) global digital terrain model from laser altimeter data. By modeling the northern and southern hemispheres separately, we find that longitudinal ridges previously identified in the north extend into the south but are obscured there by surface material. In the south, more numerous large boulders effectively retain surface materials and imply a higher average strength at depth to support them. The north has fewer large boulders and more evidence of boulder dynamics (toppling and downslope movement) and surface flow. These factors result in Bennu’s southern hemisphere being rounder and smoother, whereas its northern hemisphere has higher slopes and a less regular shape. We infer an originally asymmetric distribution of large boulders followed by a partial disruption, leading to wedge formation in Bennu’s history.

The upcoming Psyche mission, part of the NASA Discovery program, will investigate the largest known M-type asteroid, 16 Psyche. Previous research has suggested that 16 Psyche may be an exposed plan...

A beamline has been designed and assembled to use the ANL Chemistry Division 20-MeV electron linac for the testing of higher-order mode excitation and damping in RF cavities. The beamline consists of two sections (a beam collimating section with a 1.5"-OD vacuum line, and a cavity test section with a 3"-OD vacuum line), separated by two double aluminum foil windows. The beam diagnostics consist of a stripline beam position monitor, integrating current transformers, fluorescent screens, and a Faraday cup. EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) is used for beamline control, monitoring and data acquisition. Also described is the diagnostic system used for beam image capture and analysis using EPICS-controlled hardware and PV-WAVE software. The RF cavity measurement will be described in a separate paper. >

This paper presents the current status of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) control system. It discusses the design decisions which led us to use industrial standards and collaborations with other laboratories to develop the APS control system. The system uses high performance graphic workstations and the X-windows graphical user interface (GUI) at the operator interface level. It connects to VME/VXI-based microprocessors at the field level using TCP/IP protocols over high performance networks. This strategy assures the flexibility and expansibility of the control system. A defined interface between the system components will allow the system to evolve with the direct addition of future, improved equipment and new capabilities. >

A beamline has been assembled with the ANL Chemistry Division linac (20‐MeV e− beam with FWHM of 20 ps) to test the effectiveness of damping techniques of the APS storage ring single‐cell cavity. The beamline consists of two sections—the beam collimating section and the cavity measurement section—separated by two single Al foil windows, allowing the beam to propagate on‐ and off‐axis of the cavity. The beam diagnostics include a beam position monitor, integrating current transformers, fluorescent screens, and a Faraday cup. The EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) is used for beamline control, monitoring, and data acquisition. The diagnostic system used for beam image capture and analysis is PV WAVE. The cavity was excited by the electron beam to investigate the HOMs. The HOMs were measured when the cavity was unloaded as well as loaded into the waveguide system. An rf cavity was also tested with and without various types of dampers. The HOM measurements were made with H‐loops and E‐probes. The spectral analysis of the HOMs is discussed and compared with both the bead‐perturbation method and the computer calculation.

The Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) at Argonne National Laboratory is a major new useroriented facility which has come on line for basic research in neutron scattering and neutron radiation damage. This paper describes the distributed processing data acquisition system which handles data collection and instrument control for the time-of-flight neutron scattering instruments. The topics covered include the overall system configuration, each of the computer subsystems, communication protocols linking each computer subsystem, and an overview of the software which has been developed.

The DAPHNE data acquisition system is designed to collect data at high rates from CAMAC instruments and to analyze the data on-line with multiple single-board computers using the National 32016 micoprocessor. It will be the standard data acquisition system used on all instruments at the Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator (ATLAS), a heavy ion accelerator. The system includes a programmable Event Handler to acquire the data from CAMAC instruments, Event Processors operating in parallel to analyze the data, an Event Distributor to supply the data to the parallel processors, and an intelligent Event Processor Interface to control the Event Processors and transfer data between the host computer and the Event Processors. Functional characteristics of each of these system components will be discussed and the design of the custom Event Distributor and intelligent Event Processor Interface will be described in detail.

The Argonne Intense Pulsed Neutron System (IPNS-I) presently under construction at Argonne National Laboratory will include a number of neutron scattering instruments. This paper investigates the data acquisition requirements of these instruments and proposes three alternative multiprocessor systems which will satisfy these requirements. All proposals are star configurations with a super-mini as the central node or HOST. The first proposal is based on front-ends composed of two or more 16-bit microcomputers, the second proposal is based on front ends consisting of a combination of a mini and microcomputers, and the third is based on a minicomputer with an intelligent CAMAC controller.

A description is given of a fast-neutron hodoscope to detect fuel motion within test samples inserted in the center of the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) reactor core. The fuel motion is induced under simulated hypothetical conditions. The hodoscope system includes components necessary to acquire, store, decode, and process the collected data.

A distributed data acquisition system has been designed to support experiments at the Argonne Neutral Particle Beam Accelerator. The system uses a host VAXstation II/GPX computer acting as an experimenter's station linked via Ethernet with multiple MicroVAX IIs and rtVAXs dedicated to acquiring data and controlling hardware at remote sites. This paper describes the hardware design of the system, the applications support software on the host and target computers, and the real-time performance.

Several computer controlled CAMAC systems are presently being developed at Argonne for data acquisition in low-energy nuclear physics. This paper discusses four of these. The systems are designed around 8K, 16-bit, Lockheed MAC-16 computers. A typical system includes two CAMAC crates and a complement of 15 modules. The crate controller in each crate serves as interface between the computer I/O bus and the CAMAC dataway. Up to 14 individual crates can be addressed in addition to a Teletype and other peripheral devices. The CAMAC modules being developed include Crate Controller, Dual ADC Controller, ADC Coincidence Unit, Dual Stabilizer, Quad Pre-Scaler, Clock, Display Controller, Readout Selector, Magnetic Tape Controller and Disk Controller. Most units are built in double-width modules using computer controlled wire-wrap construction.

Two methods for simultaneous exposure of film in two or more high—speed framing cameras are described. In one case, the two cameras are run independently of each other but at a frequency multiple which causes overlapping exposures. In the other case, feedback control of the second (slave) camera is derived by comparing the phase and velocity relationships of the master and slave cameras. Signals for phase and velocity are derived from the shutter—open synchronization pulse generated by a rotating—shutter optical light sensor. Limitations in use are explained.

Based on the service quality and script theory literature, a framework of relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intention for service purchases is proposed. Specific models are developed from the general framework and the models are applied and tested for the highly complex and divergent consumer service of overnight hospital care. Service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intention data were collected from recent patients of two hospitals. The findings support the specific models and general framework. Implications for theory, service marketing, and future research are discussed.