(117704) Lopez-Alegria Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 March 2005 by M. W. Buie at Kitt Peak.
Michael Lopez-Alegria (b. 1958) is a retired astronaut who flew on four NASA missions aboard the Space Shuttle, the Soyuz spacecraft and the International Space Station. He performed ten spacewalks over his 257 days in space. While in space, he performed experiments on materials, biotechnology and combustion.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2021-01-27), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Lopez-Alegria is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Lopez-Alegria is 2.55 au from the Sun and 1.85 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 117704 |
| Provisional designation | 2005 EN317 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.8 |
| Orbital period | 4.00 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.52 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.29 – 2.74 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0890 |
| Inclination | 2.64° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.28 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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