Hypervelocity Impacts in Space and Planetology

This publication contains 36 papers taken from three symposia of COSPAR Scientific Commission B, which took place during the Thirty-first COSPAR Scientific Assembly, held in Birmingham, UK, during July 1996. The major areas covered by the symposia and which form this volume are as follows: the particulate space environment, problems in comparative planetology, and laboratory investigations relevant to planetology. Papers on the particulate space environment reflect advances in evaluation of the space environment, the deeper understanding of hypervelocity impact phenomena, and hold interest for the understanding of the natural environment and space debris. Papers on problems in comparative planetology investigate differences in impact melting on the surfaces of different planets, the geology of Alba Petra on Mars and attempts to interpret the geology of that region in terms of the geology of corona structures found on Venus. Papers concerning laboratory investigations relevant to planetology cover topics including impact cratering experiments, spectroscopic studies in UV, the visible and IR, and thermal chemical processes in astrophysically relevant ices.

Table of Contents:
Hypervelocity impact on brittle materials of semi-infinite thickness: fracture morphology related to projectile diameter (E.A. Taylor et al. ). Studies of ejecta from hypervelocity impacts on CO 2 (W. Brook-Thomas et al. ). Hypervelocity impact on soda lime glass: damage equations for impactors in the 400-2000 mum range (E.A. Taylor, J.A.M. McDonnell). The dust sensor for Cassini (R. Srama, E. Grun). Velocity thresholds for impact plasma production (P.R. Ratcliff et al. ). The first results of meteoroid and debris impact analyses on space flyer unit (H. Yano et al. ). Particle lifetime studies in LEO for aerocaptured interplanetary dust (J.A.M. McDonnell, C.R. Cook). The danger to satellites from meteor storms (M. Beech et al. ). Evaluation of impact craters on solar cell samples and thermal MLI blankets (F.J. Stadermann et al. ). The dust bands of the planet Mars (R.C. Nazzario, T.W. Hyde). Charging in a dusty plasma (L.A. Bringol, T.W. Hyde). Preface (T. Spohn). Planetary differences in impact melting (R.A.F. Grieve, M.J. Cintala). Alba Patera: a possible trace of a corona structure on Mars (E. Illes-Almar). Preface (D. Mohlmann, J. Klinger). Hypervelocity impact cratering of CO 2 ice and implications for planetary sciences (J. Leliwa-Kopystynski et al. ). Experiments of pre-planetary grain growth (T. Poppe, J. Blum). Laboratory simulation of carbon compounds expected in different astrophysical environments (L. Colangeli et al. ). Production of CO and CO 2 after ion irradiation of ices (M.E. Palumbo).