How To Keep Orbits Around The Triple Asteroid System 2001SN263? – Science Trends
https://sciencetrends.com/keep-orbits-around-triple-asteroid-system-2001sn263/
Many spacecraft have visited asteroids and brought meaningful information about those complex objects. However, no one has explored a triple system
of asteroids such as that one discovered in 2008 by scientists from the radio astronomy station of Arecibo, in Puerto Rico, and named 2001SN263. Such
system is composed of a central body (Alpha), with 1.25 km of radius, and two smaller bodies (Beta and Gamma), with a radius of 0.39 and 0.22 km,
respectively. Beta has an orbital period of 6.23 days while Gamma orbits Alpha with a period of 0.69 days. It is notorious that the investigation,
from close distances, of such systems can be of high scientific importance. In this sense, a partnership between Brazilian and Russian space institutes
has proposed the ASTER mission with the objective of exploring the asteroid 2001SN263.