A Visit to Gaspra

This is a ground-based photo of the first ever to be visited by a spacecraft. On October 29, 1991, the NASA spacecraft Galileo flew past minor planet No. 951 Gaspra on its way to where it will arrive in De- cember 1995. The distance to Gaspra from the was 410 million km at the time of the fly-by. Although Galilw's high-galn antenna has not yet been un- folded and could therefore not be used, JPL engineers succeeded In getting a 300-line Image via the low-gain antenna; the others will be sent when Gallleo is again near the Earth. The first image showed the irregular form of Gaspra and Several craters on its surface with a res- otution of ht130 metres. The diarne- ter was measured as 16 kilornetms. Gaspra was discovered on July 30, 191 6 at the Simeis Observatq in the mountains of Cximea, the Russia. The sofi on the southern coast of Crimea, in On this date, Its distance from the Earth discoverer was the welt-known Russian which the famous Russian writer Lev was 262 million km and the magnitude astronomer Grigorij Nikolaevich Neuj- Nikolaevfch Tolstoy (1828- 1910) spent was about 15. min (born 1886 in Tbilisi, Georgia; died many years of his life." The village of The background of the photo is a I946 in Leningrad), who later became Gaspra is located about 10 krn south- region in the southern constellation Director of that observatory (1925- 1931 west of Yalta. Ophlochus (the Serpent-holder) which is and 1936-1941) and Director of the The present photo was obtained with characterld by relatively few stars, but Pulkovo Obsewatoty near St. Peters- the 1-metre ESO Schmidt telescope at many bright and dark nebulae. The burg (1 944- 1946). During three de- La SIlla on April 9, 1991 and served brightest of the three stars in the top cades he discovered 72 minor planets to measure an accurate position of right corner is the 5th-magnitude Rho and 6 . Gaspra, in support of the navigation of Ophiuchl, a hot and young double star. Neujmin's dedication for (951) Gaspra Galilm. The exposure lasted 10 minutes It is surrounded by nebulostty that re- reads as follows: 'Named after the re and Gaspra is indicated with an arrow. flects the light from the stars.

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