Prospects for determining asteroid masses

The orbits of 4583 main belt asteroids are integrated orbits for 57 years and searched for asteroid-asteroid encounters from which it may be possible to determine the masses of 23 of the largest asteroids (diameter greater than or equal to 200 km) and 11 smaller asteroids. The search is conducted using a scattering formula which serves as a useful filter for identifying encounters that can lead to a mass determination. A total of 460 such encounters were found. The ten most useful of these encounters are examined in detail. The results show that, to make a reliable mass determination, the mean distance of the perturbed asteroid must be known to within a few times 10(-8) AU. An observing program targeting the asteroids listed here would have a substantial impact on our knowledge of asteroid masses and densities. (C) 1996 American Astronomical Society.