In addition to astrometry, a spectrum (to see if it looks like titanium
paint) and a lightcurve (to see if it features specular flashes) would also
be of interest, the latter also to tie down the rotation period for planned
radar observations.

All this is particularly interesting in the light of the current brouhaha
over sending humans to NEAs, of which this one would be a prime target,
provided it isn't painted white with writing and logos all over it.

Cheers,

Alan

P.S. "nominal" size, assuming albedo ~0.14, would be ~10 m diameter; if
painted white, could be more like ~5 m -- right in the range for space junk.

At 12:34 PM 6/23/2011, Bill J Gray wrote:
> As Peter Birtwhistle first noticed (almost immediately after getting
>the first follow-up on this object), and as the Sky & Tel article
>mentions, this is in an earth-like orbit. So there is a good chance
>it will turn out to be space junk. If so, astrometry ought to show
>some signs of solar radiation pressure sometime soon.
>
> It was last in our neighborhood sometime around 1986 (plus or minus
>a lot, with no real knowledge of its history before then).
>
>-- Bill
>
>
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Alan W. Harris
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Space Science Institute
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