Rosetta performs close fly-by at asteroid (21) Lutetia
October 5th, 2010 - 2:23 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Oct 5 (ANI): The International Rosetta Mission performed a successful close fly-by at the main-belt asteroid (21) Lutetia on 10 July 2010.
Closest approach occurred at 15:45 UTC at a distance of 3160 km - only 2 kilometres further out than the minimum distance Rosetta had to keep in order to track the asteroid continuously.
Rosetta passed the asteroid with a relative fly-by velocity of 15 km/s, and went through zero phase angle at a distance of 16400 km, 18 minutes before closest approach.
Altogether 17 instruments were switched on during the fly-by, obtaining spatially resolved imaging and spectral observations covering wavelengths from the UV to the radio, as well as in-situ measurements of the asteroid and its direct environment.
The asteroid is heavily cratered. Also a giant bowl-shaped depression stretching across much of the asteroid rotated into view. (21) Lutetia was Rosetta’s second and main asteroid target in its 11.5-year mission.
The International Rosetta Mission is one of ESA’s Planetary Cornerstone Missions and is on its way to rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, go in orbit around its nucleus, and accompany the comet for more than a year while it approaches the inner solar system, goes through perihelion, and moves outbound again.
While travelling to the comet Rosetta has performed two fly-bys at main belt asteroids with the scientific objective of providing a global characterization of these asteroids, including the determination of their dynamic properties, surface morphology and composition.
Images and animations from the Lutetia fly-by:http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Rosetta/SEM44DZOFBG_1.html (ANI)
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Tags: asteroids, comet, cornerstone missions, dynamic properties, fly bys, giant bowl, inner solar system, international rosetta mission, lutetia, minimum distance, nucleus, oct 5, perihelion, phase angle, rendezvous, situ measurements, spectral observations, surface morphology, target, wavelengths