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Near infra-red spectroscopy of the asteroid 21 Lutetia. II. Rotationally resolved spectroscopy of the surface

Colas, F.; Vernazza, P.; Binzel, R. P. +5 more

Aims:In the framework of the ground-based science campaign dedicated to the encounter with the Rosetta spacecraft, the mineralogy of the asteroid (21) Lutetia was investigated.
Methods: Near-infrared (NIR) spectra of the asteroid in the 0.8-2.5 µm spectral range were obtained with SpeX/IRTF in remote observing mode from Meudon, France in…

Determination of the light curve of the Rosetta target asteroid (2867) Steins by the OSIRIS cameras onboard Rosetta

Lamy, P.; Keller, H. U.; Mottola, S. +9 more

Context: In 2004 asteroid (2867) Steins has been selected as a flyby target for the Rosetta mission. Determination of its spin period and the orientation of its rotation axis are essential for optimization of the flyby planning.
Aims: Measurement of the rotation period and light curve of asteroid (2867) Steins at a phase angle larger than achi…

Are the E-type asteroids (2867) Steins, a target of the Rosetta mission, and NEA (3103) Eger remnants of an old asteroid family?

Barucci, M. A.; Fornasier, S.; Marzari, F. +2 more

Aims:We have investigated the spectral properties of the E-type asteroids 2867 Steins, a main belt object target of the Rosetta mission, and 3103 Eger, a near Earth asteroid. The strong spectral similarity between these two objects suggests a possible common origin in spite of their presently different orbits. We explore the possibility that Stein…

E-type asteroid (2867) Steins: flyby target for Rosetta

Barucci, M. A.; Fulchignoni, M.; Vernazza, P. +3 more

Aims:The mineralogy of the asteroid (2867) Steins was investigated in the framework of a ground-based science campaign dedicated to the future encounter with Rosetta spacecraft.
Methods: Near-infrared (NIR) spectra of the asteroid in the 0.8-2.5 µm spectral range have been obtained with SpeX/IRTF in remote-observing mode from Meudon, Fra…

Photometric observations of Rosetta target asteroid 2867 Steins

Lowry, S. C.; Weissman, P. R.; Choi, Y. -J.

Asteroid 2867 Steins is one of two flyby targets of ESA's International Rosetta Mission, launched in March, 2004. We obtained CCD observations of Steins on April 14-16, 2004 at Table Mountain Observatory, California, in order to characterize the asteroid physically, information that is crucial for planning the Steins flyby. This study includes the…

On the dynamical stability of the Rosetta orbiter. II.

Mysen, E.; Aksnes, K.

In an orbit around a comet, a spacecraft is subject to several spin-orbit resonances. These enhanced couplings, induced by the rotation of the nucleus, by temporal variations in the outgassing pressure field and, at last, by a rotation of the probe's solar cell arrays, are systematically mapped in this paper. Using the simplified pendulum model, e…