O. S. Barnouin

Abstract An asteroid’s interior dictates how its space environment changes its shape and surface, which provides a record of the collisional and dynamical evolution of the Solar System. Knowledge of asteroid interiors also enables the formulation of mitigation strategies against hazardous asteroids. Despite this importance, asteroid interiors remain poorly understood.

Abstract The bearing capacity - the ability of a surface to support applied loads - is an important parameter for understanding and predicting the response of a surface. Previous work has inferred the bearing capacity and trafficability of specific regions of the Moon using orbital imagery and measurements of the boulder tracks visible on its surface.

Abstract The surface strength of small rubble-pile asteroids, which are aggregates of unconsolidated material under microgravity, is poorly constrained but critical to understanding surface evolution and geologic history of the asteroid. Here we use images of an impact ejecta deposit and downslope avalanche adjacent to a 70-m-diameter impact crater on the rubble-pile asteroid (101955) Bennu to constrain the asteroid’s surface properties.