학술논문

Images from the surface of asteroid Ryugu show rocks similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites
ASTEROIDS
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
Science. August 23, 2019, Vol. 365 Issue 6455, p817, 4 p.
Subject
Japan
Germany
Language
English
ISSN
0036-8075
Abstract
The near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu is a 900-m-diameter dark object expected to contain primordial material from the solar nebula. The Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) landed on Ryugu's surface on 3 October 2018. We present images from the MASCOT camera (MASCam) taken during the descent and while on the surface. The surface is covered by decimeter- to meter-sized rocks, with no deposits of fine-grained material. Rocks appear either bright, with smooth faces and sharp edges, or dark, with a cauliflower-like, crumbly surface. Close-up images of a rock of the latter type reveal a dark matrix with small, bright, spectrally different inclusions, implying that it did not experience extensive aqueous alteration. The inclusions appear similar to those in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.