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InstrumentsMSI NIS NLR XGRS MAG RS Radio Science
(image from JPL DSN "Bringing Images from Space to Earth")
NEAR carries a radio transponder that will enable us to establish its position and velocity in inertial space. This X-band transponder operates at 8438 MHz and can pinpoint the spacecraft’s radial velocity to better than 0.1 mm/s when the data are properly calibrated. By using ground-based tracking data along with spacecraft observations of the nearby asteroid, we can assess several fundamental properties of the asteroid. While the NEAR spacecraft is in close proximity to the asteroid, the spacecraft’s trajectory is modified by the asteroid’s gravity. These spacecraft trajectory changes, which are monitored using the tracking data, depend upon the relative distance and velocity of the spacecraft as well as the mass of the asteroid.
Radio Science Team
Data
Radio fact sheet (26K PDF)
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