3352 McAuliffe
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| 15.54±0.1 (R)[c] · 15.8[1] · 16.00±0.18[7] · 16.068±0.112[4][8] | |
3352 McAuliffe (/məˈkɔːlɪf/), provisional designation 1981 CW, is a rare-type asteroid and suspected binary system, classified as near-Earth object of the Amor group, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 6 February 1981, by American astronomer Norman Thomas at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, United States.[3]
Originally, this asteroid was the target of the 1998 Deep Space 1 mission, but that mission was eventually rerouted to 9969 Braille.[9] It was named in memory of Challenger crew member Christa McAuliffe.[2]
Orbit
McAuliffe orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.2–2.6 AU once every 2 years and 7 months (941 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.37 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
It has an Earth
Physical characteristics
Spectral type
In the
Diameter and albedo
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an
Rotation period
Between 1998 and 2016, several rotational
Suspected moon
During the photometric observations in March 2012, Brian Warner found evidence of the existence of a minor-planet moon orbiting McAuliffe every 20.86 hours. However, it is only a "possible" synchronous binary system, as no mutual eclipsing/occultation events were observed.[5] Follow-up observations in September and October 2016, did not confirm the binary nature of McAuliffe.[4][b][a]
Exploration
Deep Space 1
McAuliffe, together with comet 76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura, were the original fly-by targets for the Deep Space 1 (DS1) mission. Launch was scheduled for 1 July 1998. A delay in the delivery of the spacecraft's power electronics system as well as insufficient time to test the flight software caused the launch to be postponed to 24 October 1998. Due to this delay, new targets had to be selected.[9]
In July 1999, DS1 passed the alternative target
Naming
This
Notes
- ^ a b c Warner (2017g): lightcurve plot of (3352) McAuliffe with a period of 2.2062 hours obtained at the Center for Solar System Studies (CS3). Quality code of 3. Publication not yet available at the "Astronomy Abstract Service". Find summary figures for (3352) McAuliffe at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link
- ^ a b c Warner (2017c): lightcurve plot of (3352) McAuliffe with a period of 2.212 hours obtained at the Center for Solar System Studies (CS3). Quality code of 3-. Publication not yet available at the Astronomy Abstract Service. Find summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link
- ^ a b c Pravec (1998) web: rotation period of 6 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.2 mag. Dated results. Summary figures for (3352) McAuliffe at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3352 McAuliffe (1981 CW)" (2017-06-12 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
- ^ a b c "3352 McAuliffe (1981 CW)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (3352) McAuliffe". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ S2CID 53493339. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ . Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "Historic Comet Space Missions". SEDS.org. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
External links
- Lightcurve plot of 3352 McAuliffe, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2012)
- Lightcurve plot of 3352 McAuliffe, Center for Solar System Studies, B. D. Warner (2016)
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- 3352 McAuliffe at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 3352 McAuliffe at ESA–space situational awareness
- 3352 McAuliffe at the JPL Small-Body Database
