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By Michael.Buckley - Johns Hopkins University News
The
NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft made history once again on Jan.
28 when it brushed over the "toe" end of Eros, less than
two miles (2.74 kilometers) from its surface, at 5:41 a.m.
EST (ground receive time). The daring pass - the closest
any spacecraft has come to an asteroid -marked the conclusion
of a 4-day series of low-altitude flyovers that is returning
extraordinarily detailed images of the asteroid's surface.
The
low pass sequence ended yesterday at 1:22 p.m. EST (ground
receive time), when a 3.8-second burst from the spacecraft's
5-pound thrusters pulled it away from its breathtaking vantage
point, and back toward an orbit 22 miles (35 kilometers)
above the asteroid. There it will remain circling Eros until
a maneuver on Feb. 12 pulls the spacecraft out of orbit
and into position for its descent to the asteroid. Several
more engine burns will slow NEAR Shoemaker's descent, allowing
it to settle on to the asteroid's surface at about 3 p.m.
EST.
View
today's image at: http://near.jhuapl.edu/iod/20010129/
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