51825 Davidbrown


51825 Davidbrown is an Eoan asteroid in the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 July 2001, by astronomers of the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking program at Palomar Observatory in California, United States. The asteroid was named for American astronaut David Brown, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

Orbit and classification

Davidbrown is a member the Eos family, the largest family in the outer asteroid belt consisting of nearly 10,000 K-type asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.8–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 1 month. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic.
The body's observation arc begins with its first observation as at ESO's La Silla Observatory in February 1994, more than 7 years prior to its official discovery observation at Palomar.

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Davidbrown measures 4.913 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.184.

Rotation period

As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Davidbrown has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.

Naming

This minor planet was named after American astronaut and mission specialist David McDowell Brown, who was killed in the Columbia space shuttle reentry disaster on 1 February 2003. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 August 2003. The following asteroids were also named in memory of the other six members of STS-107: 51823 Rickhusband, 51824 Mikeanderson, 51826 Kalpanachawla, 51827 Laurelclark, 51828 Ilanramon and 51829 Williemccool.