NEAR's flyby of 253 mathilde: images of a C asteroid

J Veverka; P Thomas; A Harch; B Clark; JF Bell 3rd; B Carcich; J Joseph; C Chapman; W Merline; M Robinson; M Malin; LA McFadden; S Murchie; SE Hawkins 3rd; R Farquhar; N Izenberg; A Cheng

doi:10.1126/science.278.5346.2109

NEAR's flyby of 253 mathilde: images of a C asteroid

Science. 1997 Dec 19;278(5346):2109-14. doi: 10.1126/science.278.5346.2109.

Authors

J Veverka¹, P Thomas, A Harch, B Clark, JF Bell 3rd, B Carcich, J Joseph, C Chapman, W Merline, M Robinson, M Malin, LA McFadden, S Murchie, SE Hawkins 3rd, R Farquhar, N Izenberg, A Cheng

Affiliation

¹ J. Veverka, P. Thomas, A. Harch, B. Clark, J. F. Bell III, B. Carcich, J. Joseph, Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. C. Chapman and W. Merline, Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Str.

PMID: 9405344
DOI: 10.1126/science.278.5346.2109

Abstract

On 27 June 1997, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft flew within 1212 kilometers of asteroid 253 Mathilde. Mathilde is an irregular, heavily cratered body measuring 66 kilometers by 48 kilometers by 46 kilometers. The asteroid's surface is dark (estimated albedo between 0.035 and 0.050) and similar in color to some CM carbonaceous chondrites. No albedo or color variations were detected. The volume derived from the images and the mass from Doppler tracking of the spacecraft yield a mean density of 1.3 +/- 0.2 grams per cubic centimeter, about half that of CM chondrites, indicating a porous interior structure.