NEAR image of the day for 2000 Sep 15
 |
Under the Saddle
|
|
|
NEAR Shoemaker took the four images in this mosaic on September 9, 2000,
from an altitude of about 100 kilometers (62 miles). NEAR Shoemaker's
current orbit affords a global look at Eros much like earlier in the
mission, but from a more southerly perspective. The top of this mosaic shows
Eros' saddle, and curving around at upper right is the large bright-and-dark
groove (featured on
May 9
and
June 2
). The bright curved feature is a broad
topographic rise separating the saddle region from the most boulder-rich
area on the asteroid (featured
April 4
).
(Images 143707341, 143707256, 143707426, 143707511) |
Built and managed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory,
Laurel, Maryland, NEAR-Shoemaker was the first spacecraft launched in NASA's
Discovery Program of low-cost, small-scale planetary missions.
See the NEAR web site for more details.