title: Asteroid 1986 DA: Radar Evidence for a Metallic Composition.
abstract: Echoes from the near-Earth object 1986 DA show it to be significantly more reflective than other radar-detected asteroids. This result supports the hypothesis that 1986 DA is a piece of NiFe metal derived from the interior of a much larger object that melted, differentiated, cooled, and subsequently was disrupted in a catastrophic collision. This 2-kilometer asteroid, which appears smooth at centimeter to meter scales but extremely irregular at 10- to 100-meter scales, might be (or have been a part of the parent body of some iron meteorites.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Ostro
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Chandler
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hine
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Rosema
authors.forename: I I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Shapiro