Investigating the Collisional and Dynamical Evolution of Comets

PI将进行一系列实验室实验，研究彗星表面如何受到撞击的影响。利用美国宇航局约翰逊航天中心（JSC）的实验撞击实验室的设施，她将准备由难熔矿物组成的目标，这些矿物要么已知存在于彗星中，要么是彗星材料的合适类似物；目标可能是固体晶体，粉碎，或与挥发物结合在低密度的尘冰混合物中。然后，目标将以几公里/秒的速度受到撞击，这是从主小行星带到柯伊伯带的撞击特征。由此产生的撞击物质将通过各种显微和光谱技术进行分析，以确定(1)是否形成了与彗星Wild 2尘埃样本（由Stardust航天器获得）中观测到的冲击特征相匹配的物质，以及(2)撞击物质是否可以解释彗星和特洛伊小行星观测到的中红外光谱。目标是获得碰撞驱动演化的约束条件，这将阐明彗星和小行星的动力学历史。PI所在大学是一所西班牙裔服务机构，该校的学生将参与开展这项研究的JSC的学年项目和暑期实习，并将为培养K-8教师的通识教育项目的学生制定课程

The PI will conduct a series of laboratory experiments to study how the surfaces of comets are affected by impacts. Using facilities at the Experimental Impact Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), she will prepare targets consisting of refractory minerals that are either known to be present in comets or are suitable analogs for cometary material; the targets may be solid crystals, crushed, or combined with volatiles in low density dust-ice mixtures. The targets will then be impacted at velocities of a few km/s, characteristic of impacts in regions from the Main Asteroid Belt to the Kuiper Belt. The resulting impacted material will be analyzed by a variety of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, in order to determine (1) whether shock features matching those observed in Comet Wild 2 dust samples (obtained by the Stardust spacecraft) are formed, and (2) whether impacted materials can account for the observed mid-infrared spectra of comets and Trojan asteroids. The goal is to obtain constraints on collision-driven evolution that will elucidate the dynamical histories of comets and asteroids. Students from the PI's university, a Hispanic Serving Institution, will participate in academic-year projects and summer internships at JSC conducting this research, and curricula will be developed for students in the Liberal Studies program that trains K-8 teachers