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| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin, J. Alu |
| Discovery date | 29 June 1989 |
| Designations | |
| MPO 244277, 1992 WA | |
Amor  NEO | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 24 October 2005 (JD 2453667.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 9733 days (26.65 yr) |
| Aphelion | 1.44623 AU (216.353 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 1.09872 AU (164.366 Gm) |
| 1.27247 AU (190.359 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.13655 |
| 1.44 yr (524.29 d) | |
Average orbital speed | 26.28 km/s |
| 125.941° | |
| 0° 41m 11.911s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.37779° |
| 104.409° | |
| 183.283° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0827215 AU (12.37496 Gm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 0.6 km |
| 19 h (0.79 d) | |
| X | |
| 19.3 | |
(10302) 1989 ML is an as yet unnamed near-Earth asteroid. It is approximately 0.6 km in diameter. An Amor asteroid, it orbits between Earth and Mars. It is an X-type asteroid, so its surface composition is yet unknown. It was discovered by Eleanor F. Helin and Jeff T. Alu at Palomar Observatory on 29 June 1989.
Targeting by spacecraft
The delta-v ('effort') required to reach 1989 ML from a low-Earth orbit is only 4.8 km/s, ranking fifth (as of March 2007) amongst the near-Earth asteroids with well-established orbits. 1989 ML is thus particularly 'easy' (and 'cheap') to reach by spacecraft.
1989 ML was considered as a target of the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa (then Muses-C) but had to be given up due to technical reasons. It was also considered by the European Space Agency as a candidate target for the Don Quijote mission to study the effects of impacting a spacecraft into an asteroid; however, they too changed to other targets.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "(10302) = 1989 ML = 1992 WA". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "10302 (1989 ML)". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Sancho Study: Designing the Minimum Earth Escape Spacecraft". European Space Agency. 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
External links
- Near-Earth asteroid Delta-v ranking, 1989 ML ranks fourth among the numbered asteroids
- (10302) 1989 ML at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- (10302) 1989 ML at ESA–space situational awareness
- (10302) 1989 ML at the JPL Small-Body Database
