Interpreting the Coupled Collisional, Dynamical, Crater History of Bennu

Dr. James Richardson will be responsible for performing numerical crater population modeling for asteroid 101955 Bennu, using the pre-existing Small Body Cratered Terrain Evolution Model. Inputs will include the observed crater population and surface properties obtained by the OSIRIS=REX mission, along with a variety of test impactor populations provided by PI William Bottke. The goal of this modeling will be to correctly duplicate the Bennu observed impact crater size-frequency distribution on the model’s surfaced, in order to place constraints on both the asteroid’s impactor population and the surface properties involved in crater production and erasure, including impact-induced seismic shaking parameters.