Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Oct 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.0801s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #8.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.954
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
1
Scientific paper
On cruise to its main target, the Jupiter-family comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the ESA Rosetta spacecraft has performed close fly-bys at two very different main-belt asteroids. The first encounter took place on 5 September 2008, when Rosetta flew by the 5-km sized asteroid (2867) Steins at a distance of 802.6 km. Then on 10 July 2010 Rosetta passed its main asteroid target, the 100-km sized asteroid (21) Lutetia, at a distance of 3162 km. In each case the fly-by strategy was arranged such that it allowed for continuous observations of the asteroid before, during and after closest approach whilst the spacecraft passed through phase angle zero. Most of the scientific instruments on board Rosetta were switched on for investigations of the asteroids and their surrounding environment. Multi-wavelength observations were obtained covering the electromagnetic spectrum from the UV to radio wavelengths. On top of this the asteroids' gas, dust, plasma, magnetic, and radiation environments were characterized in-situ by various instruments on board Rosetta. Both targets were selected after careful evaluation of the scientific significance of all reachable asteroids constrained by the available fuel budget, and have turned out to be extraordinarily interesting objects for close inspection. This is not just because (21) Lutetia is the largest asteroid, and (2867) Steins is the only E-type asteroid ever visited by a space mission, but rather the results reveal the complex morphology, dynamics, and composition of both. After completion of the detailed analysis of the data obtained by Rosetta these two objects will be among the best-studied asteroids and as such will add significantly to our understanding of the different types of asteroids. This in itself will help to solve the puzzle of how the solar system has formed and evolved.
Accomazzo Andrea
Küppers Michael
Schulz Robert
Wirth K.
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