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[22.01] Exploring Source Regions for Near-Earth Objects

R. P. Binzel (MIT), J. S. Stuart (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), A. S. Rivkin (MIT), A. W. Harris (Space Science Institute), S. J. Bus (U. Hawaii)

Visible and near-infrared spectroscopic measurements of near-Earth objects are the current focus of the MIT Small Main-Belt Asteroid Spectroscopic Survey (SMASS) program. Through spectral measurments of about 400 near-Earth (perihelion less than 1.3 AU) and Mars- crossing objects, we attempt to find trends between taxonomic types and likely source regions. We place our spectroscopic observations within the taxonomy system of Bus (1999, MIT Ph.D. thesis) and we utilize the dynamical model of Bottke et al. (2002, Icarus 156, 399) for evaluating the probability of near-Earth objects being derived from main-belt and Jupiter family comet sources. Furthermore we compare the observed orbital distributions and likely source regions for S-type and Q-type asteroids and find them to be nearly identical. The implications for possible relations between S-type asteroids, Q-type asteroids, and ordinary chondrite meteorites will also be discussed.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35 #4
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.