Mass determination of a small body in solar system by using a test-mass during a fly-by

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

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Asteroids, Flyby Missions, Geopotential Research Mission, Optical Tracking, Planetary Mass, Radio Altimeters, Solar System, Spaceborne Astronomy, Trajectory Analysis

Scientific paper

A technique involving the measurement of the relative position of two bodies in orbit, which is being implemented in the Gravsat program, is described for determining the masses of asteroids during flyby missions. A probe would be directed on trajectories that passed within 500 km on the bright sides of the objects. A mass would be ejected toward asteroid from thousands of kilometers away and would be observed during approach and departure. It would be necessary to ensure that the mass is halfway between the probe and the asteroid at the probe's closest passage near the asteroid. The trajectory of the ejected mass could be tracked optically be an on-board camera or with a radar altimeter on the mass. The mass would then be constrained to be optically or radio range reflective. Simulations have demonstrated that the method could furnish data on asteroid masses with up to 3 percent accuracy.

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