Fully Coherent Model of Dynamics around Binary Asteroids: Application to Didymos and the DART Impact | CU Experts

Abstract; The dynamical environment around binary asteroids has been studied in depth, but these models typically make assumptions about the eccentricity, shapes, or rotational stability of the asteroids. In this work, we develop a fully coherent dynamical model accounting for the gravitational influence of two arbitrarily shaped asteroids and the Sun, allowing for eccentricity and irregular spin states within the binary asteroid. We apply this model to Didymos after the DART impact to determine the stability of orbits in the perturbed system. We then study the behavior of ejecta and identify regions in which ejecta may be long-lived, a concern for the Hera mission. It is likely debris from the DART impact will survive in the system throughout the duration of the Hera mission, and these particles are generally at least 10 cm in diameter and found in wide, eccentric, and inclined orbits. The most likely region for Hera to encounter these particles is just outside the orbit of Dimorphos.

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