ID :
132261
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 18:14
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/132261
The shortlink copeid
ROSETTA PROBE TO PASS BY ASTEROID LUTETIA
Baku, July 10 (AzerTAc). The Asteroid Lutetia will become the largest space rock to be visited by a probe when the European Rosetta mission flies past it on Saturday (GMT), BBC reports.
The 100km-wide mass of rock will be the last encounter in Rosetta`s tour of the Solar System before it sweeps out to meet up with a comet in 2014.
Lutetia is a fascinating target - observations using telescopes have failed to determine its true type.
Scientists would like to know how much the asteroid has changed through time.
This will tell them to what extent it contains pristine materials left over from the formation of the Solar System some 4.6 billion years ago.
The 100km-wide mass of rock will be the last encounter in Rosetta`s tour of the Solar System before it sweeps out to meet up with a comet in 2014.
Lutetia is a fascinating target - observations using telescopes have failed to determine its true type.
Scientists would like to know how much the asteroid has changed through time.
This will tell them to what extent it contains pristine materials left over from the formation of the Solar System some 4.6 billion years ago.
