NOTABLE ASTEROIDS & KBOS A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z                    HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site Gaspra (minor planet 951) The first asteroid to be seen close up when the Galileo spacecraft flew past it at a distance of 1,600 km, on Oct. 29, 1991, en route to Jupiter. Gaspra is a member of the Flora family, elongated and irregular in shape, and lacking any large craters, which suggests that it has a comparatively recent origin, most likely from the collisional breakup of a larger body some 300 to 500 million years ago. It was discovered by Grigoriy N. Neujamin in 1916 and named after a Russian resort and spa near Yalta, Crimea, that was visited by contemporaries such as Tolstoy and Gorky. diameter 19 × 12 × 11 km spectral class S visual albedo 0.2 rotational period 7.04 hours semimajor axis 2.209 AU perihelion 1.828 AU aphelion 2.592 AU eccentricity 0.174 AU inclination 4.10° period 3.29 years Related category    • NOTABLE ASTEROIDS, CENTAURS, AND KUIPER BELT OBJECTS Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) BACK TO TOP