IT is widely accepted that near-earth objects (neos) represent a global hazard for human civilization. As of this writing 16,158 neos have been discovered, of which over 1,786 are classified as…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center awarded a $626,248.62 grant to the University of Puerto Rico to conduct research on the fundamental physical and mechanical properties of meteoritic materials. This research supports efforts to better understand the characteristics of near-Earth objects (NEOs), which pose a global hazard to human civilization. The goal is to develop improved models for fracture and impact dynamics of these objects, which is critical for informing planetary defense strategies and future asteroid exploration. The University of Puerto Rico, a non-profit Hispanic-serving educational institution, will lead this effort through its Humacao campus. This award is not associated with a larger contract vehicle, and no set-aside designation is mentioned.

IT is widely accepted that near-earth objects (neos) represent a global hazard for human civilization. As of this writing 16,158 neos have been discovered, of which over 1,786 are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids (phas). While we have a good understanding of their numbers, size distribution, and dynamical behaviors (e.g., bottke 2002, mainzer ET AL. 2011, cotto-figueroa ET AL. 2015, statler ET AL. 2013), our knowledge of their basic mechanical properties is poor. This knowledge begins, most efficiently, with a better understanding of the fundamental mechanical properties of the meteorites in our collections. Meteorites, which derive from neos, provide a unique opportunity to study the fundamental physical and mechanical properties of asteroidal materials. But to date, few direct studies of physical properties have been conducted on these materials, in contrast to extensive chemical and isotopic analyses. Only a few measurements of sound speed, elastic constants, and dynamic fracture properties have been obtained (ibrahim & hildebrand 2012, kimberley & ramesh 2011, flynn & durda 2004), and generally without attention to the importance of scale. IT is imperative to understand the physical and scale dependent properties in order to gain insight into fracture and impact dynamics. Previous results of asteroid disruption studies that are still widely used (benz & asphaug 1999) include the equation of state for basalt and a simple grady-kipp 1980 dynamic fracture model derived from impact experiments. Although that model is rate and scale dependent, the parameters for extrapolation to large scales are unknown for meteorites. Measuring the strengths of asteroidal materials and understanding of how IT will scale with size, is important for developing mitigation strategies for potential earth impactors and for understanding properties of in situ materials on asteroids during human and robotic exploration.