Sponsor
Jared Collins is thanked for his generous donations of material used in this study. B.R.S., S.L.J., M.A., and M.M.G. acknowledge support from an STFC grant (#ST/X001180/1). We thank STFC for the studentship awarded to F.A.D (ST/Y509449/1). T.H.B. would like to thank the Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration 2 (RISE2) Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) (NASA grant 80NSSC19M0215) for support. Part of the data utilized in this publication was obtained and made available by the MITHNEOS MIT-Hawaii Near-Earth Object Spectroscopic Survey. The IRTF is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract 80HQTR19D0030 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The MIT component of this work is supported by NASA grant 80NSSC18K0849.
Published In
Icarus
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2026
Subjects
Asteroids -- Surfaces, Spectroscopy, Meteorites -- Composition, Experimental techniques
Abstract
Brachinite meteorites are typically linked to the olivine-rich A-type asteroids. In this study, however, they appear to exhibit unexpected spectral diversity. Spectroscopic analysis of seven meteorites from the brachinite clan reveals two distinct populations in band parameters, overlapping with both the A-type and S-complex asteroids. This dual association shows that a single meteorite group can originate from multiple asteroid taxonomies. Notably, one S-complex-like specimen, Northwest Africa (NWA) 14,635, displays band parameters similar to those of asteroid (65803) Didymos, the target of the European Space Agency's (ESA) ongoing Hera mission. These results underscore the value of spectroscopic characterization of poorly understood meteorite groups and identifying potential analogs that are highly relevant for current and future mission planning.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2025 The Authors Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1016/j.icarus.2026.116965
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44472
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Citation Details
Rider-Stokes, B. G., Davies, F. A., Burbine, T. H., MacLennan, E., Greenwood, R. C., Jackson, S. L., Anand, M., Sheikh, D., & Grady, M. M. (2026). Crossing boundaries: Brachinites and their diverse asteroidal origins. Icarus, 449, 116965.