NEAR Shoemaker Moves Closer to Asteroid 433 Eros
The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft has now settled into a new, lower orbit around asteroid 433 Eros. An engine burn on 13 July placed NEAR in a circular orbit which is centered 22 miles (35 km) from the center of Eros. Because of the oblong shape of Eros, this orbit will bring the spacecraft as close as 12 miles (19 km) from the ends of the asteroid.
While in this new orbit, a more precise determination of Eros’ gravitational field will be made. This information, in turn, will be used to allow even lower orbits to be established in the months ahead. NEAR has now begun to send images back from its new vantage point. This image (shown with the Pentagon and its 921 foot long sides added for scale) is the closest image yet taken of Eros.
The primary mission of NEAR is to orbit Eros for approximately 1 year. During that time it will conduct a variety of measurements designed to help understand the composition, mineralogy, and overall characteristics of Eros. If all works out after its baseline mission is completed, NEAR will circle in closer and closer until mission controllers may actually attempt a quasi-soft landing (i.e. a slow motion collision) on Eros itself.
Related Links
° Eros: Closest View Yet!, Johns Hopkins University
° Focus on NEAR, SpaceRef
° NEAR Home page, Johns Hopkins University
Background information
° Putting NEAR’s Images in Perspective, SpaceRef
° NEAR gets Nearer to Eros, SpaceRef
° NEAR’s Near-Infrared Spectrometer No Longer Works, SpaceRef
° More Color Photos of Eros from NEAR, SpaceRef
° NEAR Rendezvous Burn a Success, SpaceRef
