Geophysical constraints on the past spin states of Itokawa
Abstract
Itokawa has two distinct terrain types, rough highlands and smooth lowlands. The lowlands formed by the movement of fine-grained materials from the highlands into topographic lows . The topography of asteroids is a function of the interior density, shape, and spin rate. Under faster spin periods (9 hours or less) the northern topographic low, Sagamihara, changes location. The location of the lowlands could be used as a constraint on the past spin periods of Itokawa if the time scale for the migration of the fines is longer than the time scale for the spin period change.
- Publication:
-
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019
- Pub Date:
- September 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019EPSC...13..434S