THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO SEARCH THE NOW PUBLICLY AVAILABLE WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY EXPLORER (WISE) DATA SET FOR THE SIGNATURES OF RECENT ASTEROID DISRUPTIONS PARTIAL ZODIACAL DUST BANDS. THESE STILL-FORMING STRUCTURES RESULTING FROM THE CATASTROPHIC DISRUPTION OF AN ASTEROID FAMILY PARENT BODY PRESERVE INFORMATION ON THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF DUST RELEASED DURING THE ASTEROID IMPACT. BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THE DUST IN THESE YOUNG STRUCTURES HAS NOT YET BEEN LOST OR SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED BY ORBITAL AND COLLISIONAL DECAY THEIR STUDY ALLOWS CONSTRAINTS TO BE PLACED ON BOTH THE NATURE OF THE DISRUPTED ASTEROID INCLUDING DEPTH AND SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF SURFACE REGOLITH AS WELL AS PROVIDING INSIGHT INTO THE TEMPORAL EVOLUTION OF THE ZODIACAL CLOUD; OUR SOLAR SYSTEM S DEBRIS DISK.
$37,222FY2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Inc.