NEAR Shoemaker back in the asteroid saddle again JHU/APL PHOTO RELEASE Posted: April 18, 2000
Perhaps the most frequently asked question about Eros' surface is, "What is the origin of the saddle?" Was it formed as a spallation scar resulting from the impact that created the large 5.5-kilometer (3.4-mile) diameter crater on the opposite side of the asteroid? To determine its origin will take time. Right now, the southern part of the feature is still in shadow. Over the next few months, as the Sun moves south in Eros' sky, the whole saddle will become visible. As NEAR Shoemaker continues to take more and more pictures of the saddle region, we will be better able to answer key questions about this feature. 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. |
Earlier coverage The impact of sun at high noon NEAR Shoemaker moves even closer to asteroid Eros Asteroid's aging craters NEAR Shoemaker shows the importance of lighting NEAR Shoemaker moves in for better look at Eros Eros at sunset NewsAlert Sign up for Astronomy Now's NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed directly to your desktop (free of charge). |
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