9969 Braille

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9969 Braille
SMASS = Q[1]
15.8[1]

9969 Braille, provisional designation 1992 KD, is an eccentric, rare-type and elongated

Mars-crosser and slow rotator, approximately 1–2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered in 1992, by astronomers at Palomar Observatory and later named after Louis Braille, the inventor of the writing system for the blind. It was photographed in closeup by the spacecraft Deep Space 1
in 1999, but a malfunction resulted in indistinct images.

Discovery and naming

Discovered on May 27, 1992, by

M.P.C. 35492).[12]

inner planets and Jupiter

Orbit

Braille has an unusually inclined orbit, and belongs to the somewhat rare class of asteroids known as

semi-major axis is too large for it to be classified as an Amor asteroid
.

Physical characteristics

Braille is a Q-type asteroid, composed mostly of olivine and pyroxene.[1] Early ground-based observations had suggested that it could have been a V-type asteroid with similarities of composition between it and the much larger 4 Vesta. The asteroid is irregularly shaped, measuring approximately 2.1 km × 1 km × 1 km.[1]

Exploration

Animation of Deep Space 1's trajectory from 24 October 1998 to 31 December 2003
   Deep Space 1 ·   9969 Braille ·   Earth ·   19P/Borrelly

Detailed information about Braille comes primarily from the Deep Space 1 probe, which passed within 26 km of the asteroid on July 29, 1999,[14] and from extensive ground based observations done in conjunction with the mission.[15] By the time Deep Space 1 reached Braille, its ultraviolet spectrometer had failed, but it did return two CCD images of medium resolution and three infrared spectra during the encounter. However, although the probe came within 26 km of Braille, the images and spectra were taken from an approximate distance of 14 000 km, due to problems with the tracking system.[16]

The main purpose of the Deep Space 1 mission was technology testing, but the encounter with Braille was of strong scientific value. No lone asteroid as small as Braille had previously been observed from such a short distance.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 9969 Braille (1992 KD)" (2017-05-03 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  2. ^ "Braille". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3
    .
  4. ^ a b "9969 Braille (1992 KD)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  5. ^
    doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90
    . Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "LCDB Data for (9969) Braille". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  7. doi:10.1029/2000GL012679
    . Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  8. Bibcode:1999BAAS...31.1131D
    . Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  9. ^
    doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6648
    . Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  10. ^ Susan Lendroth (July 28, 1999). "Spacecraft Target Asteroid Named in Planetary Society Contest". The Planetary Society. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  11. Cable News Network. July 26, 1999. Archived
    from the original on February 8, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  12. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  13. ^ Calvin J. Hamilton. "Asteroid Braille".
  14. ^ "A CLOSE-UP OF AN ASTEROID". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on March 20, 2009.
  15. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.06.002
    .
  16. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20010789
    . Retrieved June 22, 2017.

External links

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