(21) Lutetia

Template: Infobox Asteroid / Maintenance / Error 1

(21 ) Lutetia is an asteroid of the main asteroid belt, which was discovered on November 15, 1852 by Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt from the balcony of his apartment. The name of Lutetia refers to the Celtic name of Paris.

Lutetia was one of the first asteroid, which were classified as M-type asteroid. However, Lutetia has a for an M- type asteroids unusually low radar albedo.

Rosetta spacecraft

On July 10, 2010 17:45 CEST was s happened (21 ) Lutetia during the second passage of the asteroid belt from the Rosetta spacecraft at a distance of 3162 km with a relative speed of 15 km /. During the flyby, there was (21 ) Lutetia from the Sun, 455 million kilometers from Earth and 407 million kilometers. From 18:10 clock there was a live transmission of the maneuver in the control center ESOC in Darmstadt. First images of the flyby were available around 23 clock. Has (21 ) Lutetia, making it the largest asteroid visited by a space mission to receive, until the Dawn spacecraft in orbit around the einschwenkte significantly greater ( 4) Vesta in July 2011.

The asteroid was examined both with the OSIRIS camera, as well as with the VIRTIS spectrometer. Two hours before closest approach, the camera began with their shots. Even after the passage images have not been incorporated.

Results so far

First evaluations of the images in the night from 10th to July 11th 2010 showed that (21 ) Lutetia is characterized by huge craters, ridges and landslides as well as several hundred meters large rocks, suggesting a rather eventful history.

Aspects

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