Actually, according to Alan Stern's post in "KBO encounters" thread, they will use LORRI to search for another targets : )

Here are scientific papers available before the flyby:

High-Precision Orbit Fitting and Uncertainty Analysis of (486958) 2014 MU69 (Locating Ultima Thule - The Planetary Mechanics Blog)
Probing the Hill Sphere of (486958) 2014 MU69: HST FGS Observations During the July 17, 2017 Stellar Occultation
The New Horizons Kuiper Belt Extended Mission
Great Expectations: Plans and Predictions for New Horizons Encounter with Kuiper Belt Object 2014 MU69 (‘Ultima Thule’)
The Color and Binarity of (486958) 2014 MU69 and Other Long-Range New Horizons Kuiper Belt Targets
The HST Lightcurve of (486958) 2014 MU69
Crater Density Predictions for New Horizons flyby target 2014 MU69

How close were all the predictions? How many papers will come up during 2019?

There is new press release by DLR with some new images and details about MASCOT landing:

Numerous boulders, many rocks, no dust: MASCOT's zigzag course across the asteroid Ryugu


mcmcmc: That is very nice simulator! Thank you for that : )

According to update in japanese Hayabusa2 descended to 600 m above sufrace and then autonomous system stopped the descent and began to rise, probably due to unabillity to measure distance by LIDAR because Ryugu's surface have very low reflectivity.

As for the spacecraft's shadow - it's clearly visible in several frames:


/how can i reduce the size of inserted image?

There was some "suspected transient sublimation activity" as well. Curiously, the signature was observed when Ryugu was at aphelion.

New candidates for active asteroids: main-belt (145) Adeona, (704) Interamnia, (779) Nina, (1474) Beira, and near-Earth (162173) Ryugu
Possible sublimation and dust activity on primitive NEAs: Example of (162173) Ryugu

Oh my! Those mosaics are absolutely stunning!

I see lot of pockmarks (pits/craters) on that white surface, although gray material within linear troughs/chasms and around that flat elevated mesa at SW is rather smooth.

Those bright fluvial features streaming down from flat-top mesa seems to be mixing with darker stuff which then covers underlaying bright deposits. I wonder, how amazing look would it be, standing down there next to central dome and looking SW at those streams!

Streams and landslides within troughs seems to be the youngest geological features here. Or those pockmarks all around the bright stuff are not impacts, but rather some sublimation-pits or even cryovolcanic calderas??

Either way, it's crazy landscape..

It looks, like there are some permanently shadowed spots on that pole..

Amazing!
I really didn't expect we will see this thru Dawn's eyes.
Trully extraordinary engineering and mission planning accomplishment.

Reversed perspective of that mosaic makes more sense for my brain:



Occator context image

As i understand it, 7.6 hours isn't actually considered fast rotation.
For asteroids this size it's rather slow. That's why i was proposing escaped-satellite scenario.
Here are some ryugu-shaped fast rotators:



Of those, only Bennu and 2008 EV5 have no known satellites. (And they have slowest rotation of this selection.)

Didymos | 1994 CC | 1999 KW4 | 2001 SN263 | 2004 DC

(Source of above image is Hayabusa2 press release from June 21.)

Ryugu could have been fast rotator with its own moon in the past. But when that moon escaped, it took away lot of momentum from the system, which slowed down Ryugu to it's current 7,6 h rotation..

Or what else could shaped Ryugu like this except the fast rotation?

There is also acceleration due to solar radiation pressure which has to be accounted for.
Other effects (like Coriolis force and gravity of other bodies) should be negligible or not relevant at this point.

Boom, there we have it! I see some equatorial craters as well as polar craters.
Rotational bulge is very distinctive and equatorial ridge seems to be quite pronounced as well.

Axis of rotation is almost perpendicular to ecliptic plane, but rotation is retrograde.
Advantage is, that we'll gonna see whole Ryugu's surface, althogh landing spots may be limited to equator only.. (according to press release in japanese)

Sharpened and enlarged views of Occator crater's eastern rim, boulders and landslides from altitude 44-48 km:


from PIA22524


from PIA22525


from PIA22526

Some flyby gifs:

Oh and look at this one! Wall of ice pillars emerging above ring plane..

Yea! Right here : ))