MSI Images of Earth & Moon
| These images were acquired by the multispectral imager on the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Spacecraft (NEAR) on January 23, 1998, between 11 and 15 hours after the spacecraft swung by Earth on its way to the asteroid 433 Eros. | |
 More about Earth Swingby
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 Earth images from lower altitudes
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| From spacecraft at a distance of 130,000 miles (210,000 km) Click image for details |  |
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From spacecraft at a distance of 92,000 miles to 160,000 miles
(148,000 to 256,000 km)
Click image for details |
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| From spacecraft at a distance of 250,000 miles (400,000 km) Click image for details |  |
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NEAR was launched on February 17, 1996. Its close encounter
with Earth bent the spacecraft's trajectory out of the orbital plane of
the major planets, and directed it toward the asteroid 433 Eros. The
spacecraft will begin its approach to Eros in late 1998, enter orbit on
January 10, 1999 to conduct the first-ever comprehensive study of a
near-earth asteroid, and finally land on the asteroid in February
2000. Obtaining and processing the images and other data acquired
during NEAR's Earth swingby provided a dress rehearsal for the
mission's major activities at Eros.
Built and managed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, NEAR was the first spacecraft launched in NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, small-scale planetary missions. |
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| 25 Jan 98 |
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