Credit: ESA
This photo of the asteroid Lutetia is one of the closest views ever of the asteroid.
It was taken from a distance of about 80,000 km during a July 10, 2010
flyby by Europe's comet probe Rosetta. Full Story.
Posted on 07/10/2010 4:50:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
A European spacecraft zoomed by past a mysterious asteroid Saturday to take the first-ever close look at the space rock while flying more than 282 million miles from Earth.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta space probe flew past the asteroid Lutetia, an object discovered in 1852 that appeared only as a bright speck in the sky to astronomers until today.
The first new photos of the asteroid revealed Lutetia to be a lumpy rock with a potato-like appearance. Rosetta was about 1,900 miles (3,100 km) from the asteroid at its closest approach.
The enigmatic space rock, which is about 62 miles (100 km) wide, is from the main asteroid belt that orbits between Mars and Jupiter. From Earth, Lutetia simply appears as little more than a single point of light to ground-based telescopes.
As a result, not much was known about Lutetia, including what it looks like. Data from Rosetta's encounter could provide more conclusive evidence about the asteroid's dimensions and composition. [More asteroid photos.]
"We know approximately its size and rotational period," Rosetta project scientist Rita Schulz said in a live webcast during the probe's flyby. "The rotational period is something like eight hours, and that will be confirmed after the flyby. We are now going to get the details. What is very important for us is the composition of the asteroid."
The asteroid flyby was actually a pit stop for Rosetta, which continued on toward its main target – comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
The spacecraft launched in 2004 and is expected to arrive at the comet in 2014. Rosetta also visited a different space rock, the asteroid Steins, in 2008.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Credit: ESA
This photo of the asteroid Lutetia is one of the closest views ever of the asteroid.
It was taken from a distance of about 80,000 km during a July 10, 2010
flyby by Europe's comet probe Rosetta. Full Story.
How do the muslims feel about this whole thing? Did anyone check on their self-esteem?
It looks like Mohammed
Muslims must be excited. You could do some serious stoning with that.
I remember playing that game circa 1979-1980 while on my lunch break, in a video game place in Westwood, CA.
LOL. good one.
I’m thinking that this game got us out of THAT recession with as much money that was fed into it!
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta space probe flew past the asteroid Lutetia, an object discovered in 1852... The first new photos of the asteroid revealed Lutetia to be a lumpy rock with a potato-like appearance... The enigmatic space rock, which is about 62 miles (100 km) wide, is from the main asteroid belt that orbits between Mars and Jupiter... The asteroid flyby was actually a pit stop for Rosetta, which continued on toward its main target -- comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko... also visited a different space rock, the asteroid Steins, in 2008.Thanks NormsRevenge.
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Thanks NormsRevenge.
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