(121557) Paulmason Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 3 November 1999 by CSS at Catalina.
Paul Mason (b. 1966) is the lead NASA Attitude Control Analyst for the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. He also worked as an Attitude Control Analyst on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, LADEE, and SPIRIT Missions to name a few.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2016-11-14), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Paulmason is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Paulmason is 2.54 au from the Sun and 2.41 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 121557 |
| Provisional designation | 1999 VF44 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 6.21 km (#8,623 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0430 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.16 |
| Orbital period | 5.57 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.14 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.43 – 3.85 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.226 |
| Inclination | 9.38° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.44 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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