(10302) 1989 ML
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin, J. Alu |
| Discovery date | June 29, 1989 |
| Designations | |
| 1992 WA | |
| Amor | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch June 14, 2006 (JD 2453900.5) | |
| Aphelion | 216.357 Gm (1.446 AU) |
| Perihelion | 164.358 Gm (1.099 AU) |
| 190.358 Gm (1.272 AU) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.137 |
| 524.284 d (1.44 a) | |
Average orbital speed | 26.28 km/s |
| 285.977° | |
| Inclination | 4.378° |
| 104.407° | |
| 183.249° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 0.6 km |
| Albedo | 0.10? |
Spectral type | X |
| 19.5 | |
|
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(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 June 29, 1989.
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.[1]
References
External links
- Near-Earth asteroid Delta-v ranking, 1989 ML ranks fourth among the numbered asteroids
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