2002 AT4 is a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Amor group, approximately 350 meters (1,100 feet) in diameter. It has an eccentric orbit that brings it sometimes close to Earth's orbit, and sometimes halfway between Mars and Jupiter. It is a dark D-type asteroid[3] which means that it may be reddish in color.
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Lincoln Lab's ETS |
| Discovery date | 8 January 2002 (first observed only) |
| Designations | |
| 2002 AT4 | |
| NEO · Amor · PHA[1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 4.94 yr (1,805 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.7000 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.0339 AU |
| 1.8670 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.4462 |
| 2.55 yr (932 d) | |
| 260.39° | |
| 0° 23m 11.04s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.4997° |
| 323.48° | |
| 203.06° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.043 AU (16.8 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 350 m (est. at 0.047) | |
| SMASS = D[2] | |
| 21.2[2] | |
Due to its relatively low transfer cost of ~5.5 km/s,[4] 2002 AT4 was under consideration 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, it is no longer under consideration.[5]
2002 AT4 orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.0–2.7 AU once every 2 years and 7 months (932 days; semi-major axis of 1.87 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.45 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]
T. M. Ribeiro et al. proposed a conceptual sample return mission named CARINA to 2002 AT4 [[6]]. The goal of CARINA would be to return for the first time a sample from a D-type asteroid for an in-depth characterisation in Earth-based laboratories. Among other things, CARINA aims to: (i) explore the relationship between dark asteroids and comets; (ii) investigate the role of dark asteroids in the origin of life; (iii) improve our understanding of early Solar System evolution.
References
edit- ^ a b "2002 AT4". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2002 AT4)" (2006-11-27 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ Binzel, Richard P.; et al. (August 2004). "Observed spectral properties of near-Earth objects: results for population distribution, source regions, and space weathering processes" (PDF). Icarus. 170 (2): 259–294. Bibcode:2004Icar..170..259B. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.04.004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ "NEA delta_v for spacecraft rendezvous missions". Archived from the original on 3 June 2001.
- ^ "ESA". Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
- ^ Ribeiro, Tânia M.; D’Ambrosio, Andrea; Dominguez Calabuig, Guillermo J.; Athanasopoulos, Dimitrios; Bates, Helena; Riegler, Clemens; Gassot, Oriane; Gerig, Selina-Barbara; Gómez-González, Juan L.; Huber, Nikolaus; Seton, Ragnar; Magalhães, Tiago E.C. (November 2023). "CARINA: A near-Earth D-type asteroid sample return mission". Acta Astronautica. 212: 213–225. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.07.035. ISSN 0094-5765.
External links
edit- MPEC 2002-A53, Minor Planet Electronic Circular
- List of the Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), Minor Planet Center
- PHA Close Approaches To The Earth, Minor Planet Center
- List Of Amor Minor Planets (by designation), Minor Planet Center
- 2002 AT4 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 2002 AT4 at ESA–space situational awareness
- 2002 AT4 at the JPL Small-Body Database
