Composition of Near-Earth Asteroid 2008 EV5: Potential target for Robotic and Human Exploration

TL;DR

This study characterizes asteroid 2008 EV5's surface composition and properties, highlighting its potential as a target for sample return and human exploration due to its low delta-v and C-type classification.

Contribution

It provides detailed spectral and albedo analysis of 2008 EV5, linking it to CI carbonaceous chondrites and assessing its suitability for exploration missions.

Findings

Spectrum is featureless except for a weak 0.48-micron Fe3+ band.

Albedo estimated between 0.05 and 0.20, consistent with C-type asteroids.

Spectral match with CI carbonaceous chondrites like Orgueil.

Abstract

We observed potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) 2008 EV5 in the visible (0.30-0.92 microns) and near-IR (0.75-2.5 microns) wavelengths to determine its surface composition. This asteroid is especially interesting because it is a potential target for two sample return mission proposals (Marco Polo-R and Hayabusa-2) and human exploration due to its low delta-v for rendezvous. The spectrum of 2008 EV5 is essentially featureless with exception of a weak 0.48-microns spin-forbidden Fe3+ absorption band. The spectrum also has an overall blue slope. The albedo of 2008 EV5 remains uncertain with a lower limit at 0.05 and a higher end at 0.20 based on thermal modeling. The Busch et al. (2011) albedo estimate of 0.12 is consistent with our thermal modeling results. The albedo and composition of 2008 EV5 are also consistent with a C-type taxonomic classification (Somers et al. 2008). The best spectral match is with CI carbonaceous chondrites similar to Orgueil, which also have a weak 0.48-microns feature and an overall blue slope. This 0.48-microns feature is also seen in the spectrum of magnetite. The albedo of CI chondrites is at the lower limit of our estimated range for the albedo of 2008 EV5.