Landing On an Asteroid Might Cause an Avalanche

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Landing On an Asteroid Might Cause an Avalanche 35

Posted by Soulskill on Friday July 05, 2013 @12:20PM from the future-landers-must-be-equipped-with-skis dept.

coondoggie writes "As if landing on an asteroid wouldn't be dangerous enough, a new microgravity experiment on the forces generated by an asteroid and its make-up suggests landing on one may cause a big avalanche. The rubble and dust covering asteroids and comets can feel changes in what is known as 'force-chains' between particles over much larger distances than on Earth, making these surfaces less stable than previously imagined, said Dr. Ben Rozitis of the Open University, who presented his experiment's findings (abstract) on July 4 at the National Astronomy Meeting."

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