2000 Feb 13
NEAR Approaching Eros on Schedule
NEAR is cruising toward 433 Eros for tomorrow's historic rendezvous with the asteroid. The NEAR team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory indicates all spacecraft systems are operating as planned.Around 2 a.m. (EST) today, NEAR began a rendezvous sequence that includes a unique low-phase flyby of Eros. Scheduled to happen around midnight tonight, the flyby will put NEAR directly between the sun and Eros and allow it to map the minerals on the asteroid's northern half under optimal lighting.
NEAR team members will download data from this sequence early tomorrow, about four hours before the spacecraft moves into position for orbit insertion at 10:33 a.m. Eastern time.
How far is NEAR from Eros? See Distance Plot
