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Science 6 October 1995:
Vol. 270. no. 5233, pp. 84 - 86
DOI: 10.1126/science.270.5233.84
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Reports

Shape and Non-Principal Axis Spin State of Asteroid 4179 Toutatis

R. Scott Hudson (1) and Steven J. Ostro

Radar observations of Toutatis placed hundreds to thousands of pixels per image on the asteroid and revealed it to be a non-principal axis rotator. The radar data are used to calculate Toutatis's three-dimensional shape, spin state, and the ratios of the principal moments of inertia. Toutatis is rotating in a long-axis mode characterized by periods of 5.41 days (rotation about the long axis) and 7.35 days (average for long-axis precession), and its dimensions along the principal axes are 1.92, 2.40, and 4.60 kilometers. To within the model's uncertainties, Toutatis's density is homogeneous, or its inhomogeneities mimic the inertia tensor of a homogeneous body.


R. S. Hudson, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2752, USA.
S. J. Ostro, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA.
(1) To whom correspondence should be addressed.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Radar Observations of Asteroid 216 Kleopatra.
S. J. Ostro, R. S. Hudson, M. C. Nolan, J. Margot, D. J. Scheeres, D. B. Campbell, C. Magri, J. D. Giorgini, and D. K. Yeomans (2000)
Science 288, 836-839
   Abstract »    Full Text »
Radar and Optical Observations of Asteroid 1998 KY26.
S. J. Ostro, P. Pravec, L. A. Benner, R. S. Hudson, L. , M. D. Hicks, D. L. Rabinowitz, J. V. Scotti, D. J. Tholen, M. Wolf, et al. (1999)
Science 285, 557-559
   Abstract »    Full Text »
Radar Images of Asteroid 4179 Toutatis.
S. J. Ostro, R. S. Hudson, R. F. Jurgens, K. D. Rosema, D. B. Campbell, D. K. Yeomans, J. F. Chandler, J. D. Giorgini, R. Winkler, R. Rose, et al. (1995)
Science 270, 80-83
   Abstract »    PDF »


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