page6
Program Information Sample (.txt)
#
# Program information file
#
PROGRAM_ID 2016B002
PROGRAM_TITLE Finding ancient lava flows: Continuing the effort to inventory basaltic asteroids in the main asteroid belt
PROGRAM_INV1 Paul Hardersen
PROGRAM_INV2 Vishnu Reddy
PROGRAM_INV3 Gordon Gartrelle
PROGRAM_INV4 Savan Becker
PROGRAM_INV5 Matt Nowinski
PROGRAM_SCICAT solar system
PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_BEG
Determining the abundance, distribution, and extent of igneous asteroids in the main asteroid belt is fundamental to understanding the physical and thermal conditions in the inner regions of the solar system during the formation epoch. Better understanding the full range of conditions at this time will also increase our understanding of general planetary system formation processes. The two proposed solar system heating mechanisms, 26Al radiogenic heating and T Tauri induction heating, predict different spatial heating trends that are potentially distinguishable through proper testing [Herbert et al., 1991; Grimm and McSween, 1991]. However, no rigorous inventory of the igneous asteroids in the main asteroid belt has been conducted to allow this testing to occur.
Therefore, we propose to rigorously inventory the basaltic asteroids throughout the main asteroid belt as the first step in the overall effort to better understand the igneous asteroid population. The two primary basaltic asteroid populations currently include those asteroids thought to derive directly from the surface of [4] Vesta [i.e., Vestoids] and basaltic asteroids in the outer main belt not associated with [4] Vesta. Using a sample of potential basaltic asteroids identified in Mainzer et al. [2012], we will use the NASA IRTF/SpeX spectrograph in prism mode [0.7-2.5-microns] to observe 47 Vp-type asteroids over six full nights. We require SNR = 100 to obtain high-quality NIR spectra. Our objectives include: 1] derive an average near-infrared [NIR] reflectance spectrum for each asteroid, 2] verify the presence of the two main pyroxene absorption features in each NIR spectrum, 3] derive band centers, band areas, and Band Area Ratios [BARs], 4] use pyroxene chemistry calibrations from Gaffey et al. [2002] and Reddy et al. [2011] to estimate surface pyroxene chemistries, and 5] attempt to match each Vp-type asteroid with one of the basaltic achondrite meteorites [aka: Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite [HED] meteorites].
PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_END