NEAR spacecraft. Artwork depicting the NEAR spacecraft orbiting Asteroid 433 Eros. NEAR (Near- Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) is the first mission in NASA
NEAR spacecraft. Artwork depicting the NEAR spacecraft orbiting Asteroid 433 Eros. NEAR (Near- Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) is the first mission in NASA's Discovery programme of small, low-cost spacecraft. Launched in February 1996, NEAR will first fly by asteroid 253 Mathilde (1997) before entering orbit around 433 Eros in 1999. NEAR will conduct a 10-month survey of the asteroid using visible light cameras, infrared and X-ray spectrometers and a laser altimeter. Discovery missions take less than 3 years to develop, and are limited to $150 million for construction, launch and the first 30 days of operation.
Size: 3363px × 2658px
Photo credit: © JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 433, artwork, asteroid, craft, earth, eros, exploration, rendezvous, research, space, spacecraf, spacecraft
