Recent advances in granular dynamics for small-body touchdown missions

Abstract

Exploring the vast universe is a shared dream of humankind, and small bodies are indispensable targets that can provide crucial information regarding the formation of the Solar System, the emergence of life on the early Earth, defending our planet from impact hazards, and utilizing the planetary resources. In the context of the forthcoming boom in small-body touchdown exploration, first, the history of previous small-body missions was reviewed, and the great challenge posed by their granular regolith surfaces to touchdown operations was analyzed. The scientific value of granular dynamics for small-body touchdown missions was summarized. Subsequently, the development in the study of the multiscale dynamics behavior of granular regolith driven by surface operations and geophysical forces was examined in detail. Finally, the future research direction was discussed.