Shoemaker Moves In For A Nearer Look

On March 11, 2000, this image of Eros' north polar region was acquired by the imager on the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, from a range of 206 kilometers (127 miles). The area shown in the image is 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) across. Most of the north polar region is heavily cratered but the region to the left (part of the "saddle") has a lower crater density, indicating that the surface has been modified since it first formed. Eros' rotational axis lies nearly parallel to its orbital plane, much as with the planet Uranus, giving the asteroid exaggerated "seasons." Now, it is northern summer and the north pole is in continuous sunlight. The Sun will set there this June, at Eros' equivalent of Earth's autumnal equinox. At that time, Eros' south pole will begin 12 months of continuous illumination while the north pole remains in darkness. Click here for desktop ready version

Shoemaker Moves In For A Nearer Look
Laurel - April 5, 2000 - The true nature of Eros becomes a bit clearer -- literally -- as NEAR Shoemaker moves into a lower orbit this weekend.

Shortly after 9 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, April 1, the spacecraft will fire its thrusters for about 40 seconds and begin gradually descending into position to start a 62-mile (100-kilometer) orbit on April 11.

Since March 3, NEAR Shoemaker has been in a nearly circular orbit some 127 miles (205 kilometers) from the center of Eros. NEAR team members say halving the spacecraft's distance to the rotating space rock will yield sharper images of the abundant geological features on the asteroid's surface, giving them a chance to learn more about the relationship between the many ridges, grooves and craters.

Earlier than expected, the team is also gathering information on the asteroid's elemental makeup. With the help of three solar flares on March 22 and 23, the spacecraft's X-Ray/Gamma Ray Spectrometer (XGRS) picked up additional fluorescent "signatures" of magnesium, aluminum, silicon, calcium and iron on the Eros surface.

The X-ray/Gamma-ray Spectrometer (XGRS) will develop global maps of the elemental composition of the surface of Eros. The instrument remotely senses characteristic x-ray and gamma-ray emissions to determine composition. Solar excited x-ray fluorescence in the 1 to 10 keV range will be used to measure the surface abundances of Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Fe with spatial resolutions down to 2 km. Gamma-ray emissions in the 0.3 to 10 Mev range will be used to measure cosmic-ray excited elements O, Si, Fe, H and naturally radioactive elements K, Th, U to surface depths on the order of 10 cm.
The readings were similar to those the XGRS detected during a solar flare on March 2 -- from four times the distance the instrument is designed to operate.

"From that distance, the readings verify that the instrument has the sensitivity we need," says Dr. Jacob Trombka, XGRS instrument team leader from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "They continue to show us that the calibration is on target and the instrument is working as it should."

NEAR Shoemaker is about 135 million miles (218 million kilometers) from Earth, moving 3 miles an hour around Eros. The spacecraft is six weeks into its historic, yearlong mission to study the asteroid.

NEAR NEWS
Shoemaker Flys With Eros Nearby
by Andrew Cheng
NEAR Project Scientist
Laurel - March 22, 2000 - Last week the NEAR spacecraft was renamed "NEAR Shoemaker," in honor of the late Eugene M. Shoemaker, a pioneer in the study of asteroid and comet impacts on Earth and other planets.

Eros Desktops: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.