Program: GS-2007A-C-6

We propose visible wavelength spectroscopic observations of about 30 small main-belt asteroids. Our principal goal is to determine whether some of these objects show visible spectra similar to those of ordinary chondrite (OC) meteorites. Such objects, the so-called Q-type asteroids, have been already discovered and are abundant among the near-Earth object (NEO) population. Because the source of NEOs is the main asteroid belt, one would presume that the Q-type asteroids are abundant also there. Interestingly, no Q-type asteroids have been detected in the main belt by the current spectroscopic surveys (~2000 asteroids observed). Either the Q-type asteroids are paradoxically rare in the main belt or it is a problem of the size bias: diameter D<5 km main-belt objects (the size-range of Q-type NEOs) have not been sampled by spectroscopic surveys to date because they are too faint for 2-m-scale telescopes used in asteroid surveys. Here we propose spectroscopic observation in the visible to determine the abundance of small Q-type asteroids in the main belt. The Gemini telescope will allow us to obtain adequate SNR data for km-sized objects in the inner part of the belt (i.e., 2.1-2.3 AU).