Information About951 Gaspra |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT 951 GASPRA | |
| asteroids visited by spacecraft | |
| gaspra | |
| flora asteroids | |
| s-type asteroids | |
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951 Gaspra is an S-type Asteroid that orbits very close to the inner edge of the Asteroid Belt . Gaspra was the first asteroid ever to be closely approached when it was visited by the '' Galileo '' spacecraft, which flew by on its way to Jupiter on October 29 , 1991 . Gaspra has half a dozen large concavities which resemble Crater s, though there is some debate whether these are the result of impacts or whether they are instead facets formed when Gaspra broke off of its parent asteroid. In the weak, lopsided Gravity of Gaspra, Impact Crater s would naturally take on such flat, lopsided shapes, making this determination difficult. Gaspra was discovered by Russian astronomer G. N. Neujmin in 1916 . Neujmin named it after Gaspra , a Black Sea retreat that was visited by his contemporaries, such as Gorky and Tolstoy . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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