(256547) Davidesmith Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 22 April 2007 by D. R. Skillman at Front Royal.
David E. Smith (b. 1934) is a planetary scientist, the Principal Investigator for the MOLA laser altimeter on Mars Global Surveyor, the LOLA laser altimeter on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the MLA laser altimeter on the MESSENGER Mercury mission. He is also the deputy-PI on the GRAIL mission.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2013-04-25), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Davidesmith is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Davidesmith is 2.83 au from the Sun and 2.31 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 256547 |
| Provisional designation | 2007 HA15 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.46 |
| Orbital period | 5.25 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.02 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.74 – 3.30 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0928 |
| Inclination | 11.2° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.77 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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