The Rubble-Pile Asteroid Itokawa as Observed by Hayabusa
Jet Propulsion Laboratory · University of Michigan · +5 more institutions
Abstract
During the interval from September through early December 2005, the Hayabusa spacecraft was in close proximity to near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa, and a variety of data were taken on its shape, mass, and surface topography as well as its mineralogic and elemental abundances. The asteroid's orthogonal axes are 535, 294, and 209 meters, the mass is 3.51 x 10(10) kilograms, and the estimated bulk density is 1.9 +/- 0.13 grams per cubic centimeter. The correspondence between the smooth areas on the surface (Muses Sea and Sagamihara) and the gravitationally low regions suggests mass movement and an effective resurfacing process by impact jolting. Itokawa is considered to be a rubble-pile body because of its low…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 28.13
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 24
Authors
22- AFAkira FujiwaraCorresponding
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Michigan, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Kobe University
- JKJun’ichiro Kawaguchi
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Michigan, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Kobe University
- DKD. K. Yeomans
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Michigan, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Kobe University
- MAMasanao Abe
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Michigan, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Kobe University
- TMT. Mukai
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Michigan, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Kobe University
Topics & keywords
- Asteroid
- Rubble
- Pile
- Geology
- Astrobiology
- Physics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Life below water