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Published Online October 12, 2006
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1133599

Reports

Submitted on August 8, 2006
Accepted on October 4, 2006

Dynamical Configuration of Binary Near-Earth Asteroid (66391) 1999 KW4

D. J. Scheeres 1*, E. G. Fahnestock 1, S. J. Ostro 2, J.-L. Margot 3, L. A. M. Benner 2, S. B. Broschart 1, J. Bellerose 1, J. D. Giorgini 2, M. C. Nolan 4, C. Magri 5, P. Pravec 6, P. Scheirich 6, R. Rose 2, R. F. Jurgens 2, E. M. De Jong 2, S. Suzuki 2

1 Department of Aerospace Engineering, The University of Michigan, 1320 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2140, USA.
2 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA.
3 Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, 610 Space Sciences Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
4 Arecibo Observatory, HC03 Box 53995, Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00612, USA.
5 Department of Natural Sciences, University of Maine at Farmington, 173 High Street, Farmington, ME 04938, USA.
6 Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Fricova 1, CZ-25165 Ondrejov, Czech Republic.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
D. J. Scheeres , E-mail: scheeres{at}umich.edu

Dynamical simulations of the coupled rotational and orbital dynamics of binary near-Earth asteroid (66391) 1999 KW4 suggest that it is excited due to perturbations from the sun during perihelion passages. Excitation of the mutual orbit will stimulate complex internal motions, including periodic fluctuations in the orbit and in the magnitude of the angular momentum of the primary component, and oscillations in the rotational dynamics and orbital mechanics of the smaller component that cause its attitude relative to uniform rotation to have large variation within some orbits and to hardly vary within others. The primary's proximity to its rotational stability limit suggests an origin from spin-up and disruption of a loosely bound precursor within the past million years.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Radar Imaging of Binary Near-Earth Asteroid (66391) 1999 KW4.
Steven. J. Ostro, J.-L. Margot, L. A. M. Benner, J. D. Giorgini, D. J. Scheeres, E. G. Fahnestock, S. B. Broschart, J. Bellerose, M. C. Nolan, C. Magri, et al. (2006)
Science 314, 1276-1280
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)