Ejecta fragmentation in impacts into gypsum and water ice

Abstract

Using the light gas gun at the Open University's Hypervelocity Impact facility, a series of impact experiments exploring impacts into water ice and gypsum have been performed. Fragmentation of solid ejecta was recorded using two different methods, analysed and compared with the total ejecta. Preliminary results show that the size distribution of the ejecta fragments from water ice is very similar to those from gypsum. These results also represent a step towards a better understanding of ejecta fragmentation in geological materials, including icy surfaces in the Solar System. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.