The Solar System contains a wide range of small bodies, including the Moon, Mercury, Pluto, asteroids, comets, Kuiper Belt Objects, Phobos and Deimos, and the moons of the outer planets. In situ observations near the Moon and remote-sensing measurements of many of these objects led to the recognition that their surface properties and exospheres are strongly influenced by complex interactions between the dusty/icy regolith, micrometeoroids, the plasma environment and UV radiation. In turn, these processes affect the upstream and downstream plasma conditions. When an intrinsic or induced magnetosphere is present, the plasma environment might become even more intriguing.

In this session we invite contributions that will move forward our understanding of fundamental surface-plasma interaction mechanisms with small bodies in our Solar System. Investigations that explore key challenges by exploiting the synergies between in situ observations, simulation models and laboratory experiments to characterize the fundamental physical processes driving the global and local near-surface plasma environments are especially welcomed.

We encourage in particular graduate students and early-career researchers to contribute their work.