Eros Horizon View
Explanation:
Since April 30,
the robotic NEAR-Shoemaker
spacecraft
has been orbiting only 31 miles
from
asteroid Eros.
Cruising
over the
asteroid's north
and south poles at a leisurely 7 miles
per hour, the spacecraft completes
an
orbit once every 1.2 earth days.
This dramatic horizon view recorded by the spacecraft's camera
on May 18 spans about 0.8 miles and reveals features as
small as 13 feet across.
Emphasized by long, harsh
shadows produced
by the low sun angle, the rolling
surface of Eros is seen to be strewn with boulders and craters with a range
of sizes.
The jagged-looking boulder near the picture center is over 190 feet tall.
While gathering sharp pictures of Eros' surface,
experimenters will also
take advantage of
the
close orbit
to explore the asteroid's surface composition and
internal structure, and search for a magnetic field.
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.
