The Planetary Science group is part of the Astronomy and Astrophysics research group of the University of Alicante (Spain).<\/p>\n
The group belongs to the Institute of Physics Applied to Science and Technology (Instituto de F\u00edsica Aplicada a las Ciencias y las Tecnolog\u00edas,\u00a0IUFACyT<\/a>) and to the Department of Physics, System Engineering and Signal Theory (DFISTS<\/a>) of teh University of Alicante<\/p>\n Our main research topics are related to small bodies of the solar system. In particular, we study the internal structure of small asteroids, impact processes in the main asteroid belt and the trans-neptunian region. Numerical simulation of such processes is our main tool. We also performed laboratory experiments of shattering physics at the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range.<\/p>\n