NEAR Shoemaker Weekly Report 3 November 2000

MISSION OPERATIONS:

Having completed last weeks Close Flyby of Eros, NEAR Shoemaker has
successfully re-entered a 200 km circular orbit. The Multi-Spectral Imager
(MSI) will utilize this orbit to complete global mapping of the asteroids
southern hemisphere.

NEAR Shoemaker successfully re-entered the 200 km circular orbit today,
November 3 at 03:00 UTC, when Orbit Correction Maneuver 18 (OCM 18)
executed. According to the mission plan, the spacecraft will remain in this
orbit for the subsequent five weeks, after which Orbit Correction Maneuvers
19 and 20 (OCM 19 & OCM 20) will be utilized to lower the orbit to 35 km.
The 35 km circular orbit will be dedicated to X-Ray / Gamma-Ray Spectrometer
(XGRS) prime science.

The spacecraft subsystem configuration has not changed during this reporting
period.

Except for the NIS, science activities conducted this week included Eros
observations by the full instrument suite: MSI, MAG, XGRS and NLR. Please
consult science timelines for more details.

Upcoming Spacecraft Activities:

In addition to regular Eros Science and Optical Navigation, the following
are operationally significant activities planned for the NEAR Shoemaker
mission operation:

Dec 7 Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 19 (200 km x
35 km transfer orbit)
Dec 13 Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 20 (35 km orbit
circularization)