Collection:
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection Collection NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection Collection
Title:
Masursky Title Masursky Title
Original Caption Released with Image:
A series of wide angle and narrow angle images, through a variety of spectral and polarizing filters, was taken of the asteroid between 7 and 5.5 hours before closest approach, from a distance of 1.6 million km, in the hopes of determining the body's size, reflectivity, asteroid type and possibly its rotation period. The face of Masursky seen by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) at a Sun-asteroid-spacecr aft angle of 90 degrees has been measured to be roughly 15 - 20 km in diameter, assuming a spherical shape. Preliminary determination of its reflectivity indicates that it may not, in fact, be an S-type asteroid like Gaspra, Ida and Eros, a puzzling result given its dynamical association with the Eunomia family of S-type asteroids. Examination and analysis of the remaining images may settle this matter as well as place limits on the body's rotation period. The asteroid is named for renowned planetary geologist Harold Masursky(1923-1990), a major participant in the historic Mercury and Apollo planetary programs, the Viking mission to Mars and the Voyager mission to outer solar system. The image above is the first wide angle (WA) image taken of Masursky on January 23,2000 at 3:01 UTC (full resolution version). In this 32 second exposure, the cameras were continuously pointed to Masursky which was traveling roughly right to left at 0.2 WA pixels/sec (about 12 microradians/sec) across the constellation of Aquila. The stars in this 3.5 degree field of view are streaked due to this target-motion compensation. Some of the streaks and point-like sources in this frame are in fact the images left by cosmic rays which hit the CCD of the camera during the exposure. This narrow angle 1.2 second exposure was shuttered simultaneously with the wide angle image above, and is a factor of ten higher in resolution(full resolution version) . It is from images like this that the size of Masursky was determined. Some of the streaks and point-like sources in this 0.35 degree frame are infect the images left by cosmic rays which hit the camera's CCD. The imaging data were processed and released by the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS) at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Cassini, launched in 1997, is a joint mission of NASA, the European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image A series of wide angle and narrow angle images, through a variety of spectral and polarizing filters, was taken of the asteroid between 7 and 5.5 hours before closest approach, from a distance of 1.6 million km, in the hopes of determining the body's size, reflectivity, asteroid type and possibly its rotation period. The face of Masursky seen by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) at a Sun-asteroid-spacecr aft angle of 90 degrees has been measured to be roughly 15 - 20 km in diameter, assuming a spherical shape. Preliminary determination of its reflectivity indicates that it may not, in fact, be an S-type asteroid like Gaspra, Ida and Eros, a puzzling result given its dynamical association with the Eunomia family of S-type asteroids. Examination and analysis of the remaining images may settle this matter as well as place limits on the body's rotation period. The asteroid is named for renowned planetary geologist Harold Masursky(1923-1990), a major participant in the historic Mercury and Apollo planetary programs, the Viking mission to Mars and the Voyager mission to outer solar system. The image above is the first wide angle (WA) image taken of Masursky on January 23,2000 at 3:01 UTC (full resolution version). In this 32 second exposure, the cameras were continuously pointed to Masursky which was traveling roughly right to left at 0.2 WA pixels/sec (about 12 microradians/sec) across the constellation of Aquila. The stars in this 3.5 degree field of view are streaked due to this target-motion compensation. Some of the streaks and point-like sources in this frame are in fact the images left by cosmic rays which hit the CCD of the camera during the exposure. This narrow angle 1.2 second exposure was shuttered simultaneously with the wide angle image above, and is a factor of ten higher in resolution(full resolution version) . It is from images like this that the size of Masursky was determined. Some of the streaks and point-like sources in this 0.35 degree frame are infect the images left by cosmic rays which hit the camera's CCD. The imaging data were processed and released by the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS) at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Cassini, launched in 1997, is a joint mission of NASA, the European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. Original Caption Released with Image
Addition Date:
2000-02-11 Addition_Date 2000-02-11 Addition Date
Produced By:
CICLOPS / University of Arizona Produced_By CICLOPS / University of Arizona Produced By
Mission:
Cassini Mission Cassini Mission
Spacecraft:
Cassini Orbiter Spacecraft Cassini Orbiter Spacecraft
Target Name:
Masursky Target_Name Masursky Target Name
Instrument:
Imaging Science Subsystem - Narrow Angle Instrument Imaging Science Subsystem - Narrow Angle Instrument
Product Size:
220 samples x 220 lines Product_Size 220 samples x 220 lines Product Size
Primary Data Set:
Cassini Primary_Data_Set Cassini Primary Data Set
facet_what:
Mercury facet_what Mercury facet_what
facet_what:
Sun facet_what Sun facet_what
facet_what:
Voyager facet_what Voyager facet_what
facet_what:
Mars facet_what Mars facet_what
facet_what:
Viking facet_what Viking facet_what
facet_what:
Saturn facet_what Saturn facet_what
facet_what:
Cassini facet_what Cassini facet_what
facet_what:
Cassini Orbiter facet_what Cassini Orbiter facet_what
facet_what:
Aquila facet_what Aquila facet_what
facet_what:
Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) facet_what Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) facet_what
facet_where:
Mercury facet_where Mercury facet_where
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory facet_where Jet Propulsion Laboratory facet_where
facet_where:
Mars facet_where Mars facet_where
facet_where:
Arizona facet_where Arizona facet_where
facet_where:
Saturn facet_where Saturn facet_where
facet_where:
California facet_where California facet_where
facet_where:
Washington facet_where Washington facet_where
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) facet_where Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) facet_where
facet_when:
1997 facet_when 1997 facet_when
facet_when:
January 23,2000 facet_when January 23,2000 facet_when
facet_when_year:
1997 facet_when_year 1997 facet_when_year
facet_when_year:
2000 facet_when_year 2000 facet_when_year
Image #:
PIA02449 Image_# PIA02449 Image #
UID:
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA02449 UID SPD-PHOTJ-PIA02449 UID
orignial url:
http://photojournal… orignial_url http://photojournal… orignial url

Masursky

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Masursky