Near‐Earth Asteroid Rendezvous: Mission overview

Abstract

Abstract. The Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission, the first launch of NASA's Discovery Program, will be the first mission to orbit an asteroid. NEAR will make the first comprehensive scientific measurements of an asteroid's surface composition, geology, physical properties, and internal structure.

Mission Analysis Issues for Planetary Exploration Missions

“…It was studied by the Near Earth Rendezvous mission of NASA (NEAR) from rendezvous in Feb 2000 to a programmed touch-down on Eros in Feb 2001 (Cheng et al, 1997). It was studied by the Near Earth Rendezvous mission of NASA (NEAR) from rendezvous in Feb 2000 to a programmed touch-down on Eros in Feb 2001 (Cheng et al, 1997).…”

Spacecraft exploration of asteroids

“…The second spacecraft sent to asteroids was called NEAR (Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) and was launched on February 17, 1996 (Cheng et al, 1997;Cheng, 2002). This spacecraft was later (upon reaching Eros) named NEAR-Shoemaker after Eugene Shoemaker (1928Shoemaker ( -1997, a famous American planetologist.…”

“…The trajectory of the spacecraft was chosen so as to make it first encounter asteroid 253 Mathilde on July 26-27, 1997 (see Fig. (Cheng, 2002). The spacecraft passed within 1212 km of the asteroid and took more than 500 images of the body.…”

“…It determined the main physical properties of the asteroid: its mass (6.690 × 10 18 g), density (2.67 ± 0.03 g/cm 3 ), size (34.4 × 11.2 × 11.2 km), pole coordinates (λ = 17°.24, β = 11°.35), period of axial rotation (5.27026 h), and albedo (0.29) (Cheng, 2002;Domingue et al, 2002;Miller et al, 2002;Thomas et al, 2002). On February 17, the spacecraft began to orbit the asteroid, and since then it studied the object in detail for a year.…”

Guest Editorial

“…The NEAR spacecraft was designed to execute a rendezvous with 433 Eros, to enter a low-altitude orbit, and to study the asteroid over a year (Cheng et al 1997). No changes to the spacecraft hardware or software were made in order to accommodate the Mathilde flyby.…”