NEAR Set to Observe Eros

Starting Jan. 11 – a little more than a year after the successful deep space maneuver that
sent it toward Eros – NEAR will be close enough to the asteroid to begin observing it
regularly.

The observations will fix NEAR’s imaging instruments on their rotating, 21-mile-long target.
The low-resolution images won’t offer much detail – NEAR will be about 29,800 miles
(47,973 kilometers) from Eros – but they will help the mission team navigate the spacecraft
and prepare for the Feb. 14 encounter and yearlong study of the asteroid.