26 October 2018
One month of results from the Hayabusa2 laser altimeter
The figure below shows the analysis of the data acquired during the last month, from altimeter LIDAS with each point showing where the laser reflected from the surface of Ryugu. Normally, the attitude of the spacecraft is controlled so that that the laser altimeter faces the equator. But during this operation, the attitude was changed to move along the asteroid’s axis of rotation; this is an “attitude scan” that has been performed twice so far. In the vicinity of the poles, there are currently fewer data points, but you can see the global shape of Ryugu.
Image credit: JAXA