Description of the ASTEROID MASSES bundle V1.0
==============================================

Bundle Generation Date: 2020-02-28
Peer Review: 2012 Asteroid Review, Wed May 30 00:00:00 MST 2012               
Discipline node: Small Bodies Node


Content description based on the data set catalog file description for the PDS3 version, EAR-A-COMPIL-5-ASTMASS-V3.0
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Note: for PDS3 data sets migrated to PDS4, the following text is taken
verbatim from the data set description and confidence level note of the
PDS3 data set catalog file. In these cases, some details may not be correct
as a description of the PDS4 bundle.
                                                           
    This collection of asteroid masses and densities has been compiled from   
    the published literature by Jim Baer, Steve Chesley, and Dan Britt.  It   
    also includes asteroid size and shape information, also collected from the
    published literature, to show the source of the tabulated bulk density.   
    The version included in this data set is dated April 18, 2012.  This data 
    set supersedes the older PDS Asteroid Densities data set,                 
    EAR-A-5-DDR-ASTEROID-DENSITIES-V1.1.                                      
                                                                              
    In addition to the asteroid mass and density file, astmass12.tab, the file
    astmassrefs12.tab lists the full references of the published sources of   
    the mass and size data.  Only published values are included; a few        
    unpublished values included in the original file have been removed.       
                                                                              
    In selecting size information for computing the bulk density, preference  
    was given to the source with the most plausible greatest precision.  In   
    general, this yielded the following order of preference:                  
    - direct imagery (including adaptive optics)                              
    - radar                                                                   
    - occultation                                                             
    - light curves                                                            
    - radiometric (especially SIMPS).                                         
                                                                              
    In addition to asteroids, entries for the Pluto/Charon/Nix/Hydra system   
    are included.  For comet masses, see the data set Properties of Comet     
    Nuclei, EAR-C-COMPIL-5-COMET-NUC-PROPERTIES-V1.0.                         
                                                                              
    Since the cited publication Standish (2001) is of limited availability, it
    has been provided in the document directory of this data set with         
    permission from the author.                                               
                                                                              
    Standish, E. M., Suggested GM values for Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta, JPL    
    Interoffice Memorandum 312.F-01-006, April 11, 2001. [Standish2001]       
                                                                              
    Modification History                                                      
    ====================                                                      
                                                                              
    This data set was first archived in 2009 and has been updated since by    
    adding additional asteroid masses that have been published since the      
    previous update.  The number of asteroid masses given in each version are 
                                                                              
    V1.0 - 151                                                                
    V2.0 - 222                                                                
    V3.0 - 248


Known issues or problems with the data
======================================

    These data have been compiled from various published sources.  See the    
    original papers for information about the confidence level of the values  
    reported.  A more frequently updated version of the compilation  is       
    available on-line at http://home.earthlink.net/~jimbaer1/astmass.htm.

PDS3 Source
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Version 1.0 of this bundle was migrated from version 3.0 of the PDS3 data set EAR-A-COMPIL-5-ASTMASS-V3.0.