1999 Jan 03
Major Engine Burn Completed
At noon, EST, January 3, the NEAR mission team conducted a 24-minute, large bipropellant engine burn, to increase the spacecraft's speed for a rendezvous with Eros in February 2000. Preliminary indications are that the burn was successful.The burn increased NEAR's speed by 2,100 mph (940 meters per second) to catch up to the faster-moving Eros asteroid, which overtook NEAR during the Dec. 23rd flyby. At the time of the burn, the spacecraft was 565,650 miles (910,100 kilometers) from Eros
Once accuracy figures from the burn are received, plans will be finalized for a small hydrazine engine burn to correct any deviation from the spacecraft's intended location. This burn is expected to take place in one to two weeks. Periodic trajectory correction maneuvers will be executed by the Mission Operations Center as deemed necessary to keep the spacecraft on course during its yearlong journey to the asteroid.
For now, NEAR continues on its orbit around the sun, traveling at about 43,000 mph (19 kilometers per second) as it gains on asteroid Eros.
