NEAR to Asteroid Eros
Explanation:
On December 23, the
NEAR spacecraft
flew by asteroid
433 Eros.
NEAR was originally scheduled to brake and orbit Eros,
but an
unexpected shutdown
of its main engine caused this plan to be aborted.
NEAR will now be reset and attempt to return to
orbit
Eros in early 2000. The above
image sequence was taken as NEAR approached Eros.
The rotation of the
asteroid is visible in the successive frames.
When
NEAR is fully operational, it will likely
provoke the
world's largest telescopes
to point not toward asteroid Eros but to positions
indicated by another of NEAR's instruments: its
gamma-ray burst (GRB) detector.
NEAR's distant
GRB detector
happens now to be in a
unique position
to contribute information crucial to the
rapid acquisition of accurate GRB positions.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
