Momentum Enhancement Resulting from Hypervelocity Impact into a Basalt Boulder

Abstract Introduction The success of the DART mission proved kinetic impact is feasible in deflecting an asteroid from its orbit [1]. The momentum transferred from the spacecraft to the asteroid and the momentum from ejected materials determine the effectiveness of the kinetic impact method, using a metric known as the momentum enhancement factor β. Previous works have measured momentum enhancement from impact experiments, and various approaches have been used to quantify the final value of the momentum enhancement factor (β) [2-8]. The majority of these prior works obtained a single value of the momentum enhancement factor (essentially the final momentum enhancement at the late stages of the impact event). In contrast, simulations of such impact events typically predict a momentum enhancement factor that evolves with time. Further, most computational simulation approaches are unable to run the simulation for sufficiently long to determine the final value of the momentum enhancement factor, and thus comparison of the simulations with the literature is difficult. In this work, we quantify the evolution of the momentum enhancement factor β as the target is deforming, using in situ high-speed video imaging. We show that multiple mechanisms are involved in the development of momentum enhancement.