Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

Gaspra is an S-class asteroid that was the first to be studied up close by the Galileo spacecraft in 1991. It is an irregularly shaped body measuring approximately 19 × 12 × 11 km (12 × 7.5 × 6.8 miles). Galileo's images revealed Gaspra's surface to be heavily cratered, indicating a history of impacts. This observation provided valuable insights into the physical characteristics of asteroids and the processes of space weathering, which alters the surface properties of celestial bodies through exposure to solar wind, radiation, and micrometeorite impacts.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.