20-July-2005, 07:02 PM
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Vulcan Moderator
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Greenbelt, MD
Posts: 24,227
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Asteroidoseismology
Eros Findings Reveal New Way to Study Asteroids
Quote:
Most of what geologists know about Earth's interior comes from monitoring the seismic waves of earthquakes. Knowledge of the Moon's inner secrets was initially gleaned by slamming probes into it and studying the shock waves that careened through it.
Now scientists have stumbled on a way to passively monitor the shaking of an asteroid to learn what it is made of.
A new study of four-year-old data from NASA's NEAR-Shoemaker mission indicates that a set of vibrations caused by a collision with another space rock played a major role in sculpting the mug of asteroid Eros.
The idea was first put forth in 2001, but it was speculative. Now, an outside expert says, they hypothesis is solid as a rock, and it tells a story of Eros' composition.
Importantly, similar analyses could be used to passively peek inside other space rocks.
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