Spacecraft gets closest look yet at asteroid

larger   Image of two overlapping craters on Eros with boulders, taken from an orbital altitude of 31 miles (50 km)

(CNN) -- The closest images ever obtained of asteroid Eros reveal an intriguing diversity of surface features, mission scientists said this week.

A short engine burn last week set the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft in a circular orbit just 22 miles (35 kilometers) from Eros' center, giving the satellite its best view yet of the peanut-shaped asteroid.

The latest images show the craggy contours of craters and a variety of differently shaped boulders. Some are nearly round; others are elongated or even blade-shaped. Such varied shapes might arise from differences in the strength and fracturing of pre-existing rock, scientists at John Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab said in a statement.

	GALLERY
View the best of Eros
	MESSAGE BOARD
Stargazing

During the spacecraft's 10-day orbit at its current altitude, mission managers plan to refine estimates of the asteroid's gravity and obtain more detailed photos and surface composition readings.

Using NEAR Shoemaker's radio tracking equipment, the team will gather data it needs to design lower-altitude operations later in the mission, and learn more about Eros' internal makeup, scientists said. "We're looking for variations in density from one part of the asteroid to another," said NEAR project scientist Andy Cheng. "It's not entirely clear whether the density is uniform, so we have to get closer and look harder."

larger   Image taken from an orbital altitude of 22 miles (36 km) showing a variety of differently shaped boulders on Eros

The spacecraft's near-polar orbit will bring it as close as 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the ends of the rotating asteroid.

Circling Eros at about eight miles an hour, NEAR Shoemaker is 71 million miles (114 million km) from Earth.

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland, manages the yearlong NASA mission.

Summer lets orbiter see asteroid Eros in new light
June 27, 2000
Asteroid Eros resembles 'building blocks' of Earth
May 31, 2000
NASA unveils quartet of asteroid movies
April 28, 2000
Spacecraft moves within 62 miles of asteroid
April 14, 2000

NASA
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.