Surface physical condition of asteroid Ryugu using close-up optical and thermal images

Abstract

In 2018, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft [1] successfully conducted some descend operations toward Ryugu’s surface. They included MINERVA rover release in September, MASCOT lander release and two touchdown rehearsals in October. During these operations, we acquired high-resolved optical and thermal images from altitudes below 100 m, us- ing Optical Navigation Camera (ONC-T) and Ther- mal Infrared Imager (TIR), respectively. Close-up optical images by ONC-T show detailed physical conditions of the surface materials, such as particle size distribution of pebbles, surface morphol- ogy of small boulders and craters. Moreover, close-up thermal images by TIR indicate thermophysical prop- erties of the surface materials and its regional differ- ence, which cannot be resolved by higher altitude observations (e.g., home-position observations from 20 km altitude). Combination between optical and thermal observations is of great importance to under- stand the nature of the asteroid surface materials. In this study, we investigate the surface particle size from close-up ONC images. Thermophysical property of the surface component materials inferred from TIR images is also discussed, especially for the range observed for the thermal inertia of boulders.