Vesta's missing moons: Comprehensive search for natural satellites of Vesta by the Dawn spacecraft

McFadden, L.A. and Skillman, D.R. and Memarsadeghi, N. and Li, J.-Y and Joy, S.P. and Polanskey, C.A. and Rayman, M.D. and Sykes, M.V. and Tricarico, P. and Palmer, E. and O'Brien, D.P. and Mottola, S. and Carsenty, U. and Mutchler, M. and McLean, B. and Schröder, S.E. and Mastrodemos, N. and Schiff, C. and Keller, H. U. and Nathues, A. and Gutiérrez-Marques, P. and Raymond, C.A. and Russell, C.T. (2015) Vesta's missing moons: Comprehensive search for natural satellites of Vesta by the Dawn spacecraft. Icarus, 257, pp. 207-216. Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2015.04.038. ISSN 0019-1035.

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Official URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103515001815

Abstract

Earth-bound searches for natural satellites of 4 Vesta have been reported since 1987. With use of technological advances and observing capability has come a reduction in the detectable size of a possible satellite. The Dawn mission brought a small camera close to Vesta itself. In our search, which was carried out with a comprehensive data acquisition strategy and by experienced searchers, we find no satellites to a detection limit as small as 3-m radius. Various observation and analysis strategies are discussed in detail. It is now time to factor the null result of this search into the context of satellite formation among other main belt asteroids and to conduct dynamical modeling to explore the suspected forces contributing to the absence of satellites at Vesta today.

Item URL in elib:

https://elib.dlr.de/96759/

Document Type:

Article

Title:

Vesta's missing moons: Comprehensive search for natural satellites of Vesta by the Dawn spacecraft

Authors:

Authors	Institution or Email of Authors	Author's ORCID iD	ORCID Put Code
McFadden, L.A.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20770	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Skillman, D.R.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20770	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Memarsadeghi, N.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20770	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Li, J.-Y	Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona 85719, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Joy, S.P.	University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Polanskey, C.A.	Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA 91109, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Rayman, M.D.	Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA 91109, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Sykes, M.V.	Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395 USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Tricarico, P.	Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395 USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Palmer, E.	Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
O'Brien, D.P.	Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, United States.	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Mottola, S.	stefano.mottola (at) dlr.de	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Carsenty, U.	uri.carsenty (at) dlr.de	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Mutchler, M.	Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
McLean, B.	Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Schröder, S.E.	stefanus.schroeder (at) dlr.de	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Mastrodemos, N.	Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Schiff, C.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20770	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Keller, H. U.	IGEP TU Braunschweig	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Nathues, A.	Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Gutiérrez-Marques, P.	Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Raymond, C.A.	Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Russell, C.T.	Institute of Geophysics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED

Date:

1 September 2015

Journal or Publication Title:

Icarus

Refereed publication:

Yes

Open Access:

Gold Open Access:

In SCOPUS:

Yes

In ISI Web of Science:

Yes

Volume:

257

DOI:

10.1016/j.icarus.2015.04.038

Page Range:

pp. 207-216

Publisher:

Elsevier

ISSN:

0019-1035

Status:

Published

Keywords:

Asteroid Vesta, Asteroids, dynamics, Satellites of asteroids

HGF - Research field:

Aeronautics, Space and Transport

HGF - Program:

Space

HGF - Program Themes:

Space Exploration

DLR - Research area:

Raumfahrt

DLR - Program:

R EW - Space Exploration

DLR - Research theme (Project):

R - Project DAWN (old)

Location:

Berlin-Adlershof

Institutes and Institutions:

Institute of Planetary Research

Deposited By:

Schröder, Dr. Stefan

Deposited On:

04 Sep 2015 07:52

Last Modified:

06 Sep 2019 15:26

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