This was the very last image taken by the NEAR spacecraft on February 12, 2001. It was taken from about 120 meters away from Eros. For reference, the rock at the top is about 4 meters across. The streaky lines at the bottom indicate loss of signal as the spacecraft touched down on the asteroid during transmission of this image.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA/JHUAPL (John Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
NEAR - It Isn't Over Yet!
News story originally written on February 15, 2001
In an exciting moment in space history, the NEAR spacecraft became the first spacecraft to land on
an asteroid on February 12, 2001. A team at John Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory sent commands to NEAR that led it to a 4 mph touchdown on the surface of the asteroid
Eros.
There were concerns that once NEAR landed, the NEAR mission would be over (especially if it had crashed instead of landed!). The landing was so gentle and NEAR landed in such a good position to communicate with Earth, that the mission is being extended for up to 10 days. During this time, scientists hope to collect information about the surface and subsurface of asteroid Eros.
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