Non-principal axis rotation in binary asteroid systems and how it weakens the BYORP effect

Quillen, Alice C.; LaBarca, Anthony; Chen, YuanYuan

doi:10.48550/arxiv.2107.14789

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This further reinforces the idea that the libration amplitude and orbit period variations have nearly the same trend as a function of β. Another concern for an initially non-equilibrium system is out-of-plane motion, where the secondary rocks about its long axis, as this can be long-lived in binary asteroids (Quillen et al 2021). This out-of-plane rotation would also cause the system to be initially perturbed from the equilibrium value of angular momentum.…”

Section: Non-equilibrium Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Libration-induced Orbit Period Variations Following the DART Impact

Meyer¹,

Gkolias²,

Gaitanas³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission will be the first test of a kinetic impactor as a means of planetary defense. In late 2022, DART will collide with Dimorphos, the secondary in the Didymos binary asteroid system. The impact will cause a momentum transfer from the spacecraft to the binary asteroid, changing the orbit period of Dimorphos and forcing it to librate in its orbit. Owing to the coupled dynamics in binary asteroid systems, the orbit and libration state of Dimorphos are intertwined. Thus, as the secondary librates, it also experiences fluctuations in its orbit period. These variations in the orbit period are dependent on the magnitude of the impact perturbation, as well as the system's state at impact and the moments of inertia of the secondary. In general, any binary asteroid system whose secondary is librating will have a non-constant orbit period on account of the secondary's fluctuating spin rate. The orbit period variations are typically driven by two modes: a long-period and short-period, each with significant amplitudes on the order of tens of seconds to several minutes. The fluctuating orbit period offers both a challenge and an opportunity in the context of the DART mission. Orbit period oscillations will make determining the post-impact orbit period more difficult, but can also provide information about the system's libration state and the DART impact.

show abstract

Section: Non-equilibrium Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%