Program: GN-2017A-FT-16

Didymos, an NEO binary system, is the target for the AIDA combined ESA (AIM) and NASA (DART) mission. We propose to use Gemini-North in concert with already allocated Gemini-South time to obtain high precision photometric lightcurves over a complete pair of mutual events. These observations form part of a wider campaign (including GTC, Magellan, SALT, and MMT) to characterize Didymos in preparation for the mission as well as to further understand the formation and evolution of a representative member of the NEO population as it pertains to both hazards and resources in near Earth space. Observations in February allowed predicitons of primary eclipse timings available from Gemini North before the end of the 2017 mutual event season in May.