Size, albedo, and taxonomic type of potential spacecraft target Asteroid (10302) 1989 ML |
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Authors: | Michael Mueller Alan W Harris |
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Institution: | a DLR Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstraße 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany b Astrophysics Research Centre, Queen's University Belfast, BT7 1NN, UK |
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Abstract: | The Amor-type near-Earth Asteroid (10302) 1989 ML has an “Earth-like” orbit (period 1.44 yr, eccentricity 0.14, inclination 4.4°), therefore the energy required to reach it from the Earth is relatively small making it a very attractive target for rendezvous missions. We have observed 1989 ML in the thermal-infrared using the Spitzer Space Telescope, and compared these data with optical and near-infrared observations. The Spitzer results imply a diameter of 0.28±0.05 km and a geometric albedo of 0.37±0.15; together with the reflectance spectrum they are consistent with the relatively rare E classification. |
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Keywords: | Asteroids Infrared observations Near-Earth objects Spectrophotometry |
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