Artist's concept of the NEAR spacecraft orbiting Eros. Photo: JHU/APL

With a few bursts from its thrusters, NEAR Shoemaker performed the first of the maneuvers that will send it on a low pass over Eros later this month.

A two-minute engine burn just before 2 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on Oct. 13 nudged the spacecraft from a 62-mile (100-kilometer) orbit - where it had been gathering global images and other data for the past five weeks - toward a tighter orbit 31 miles (50 kilometers) from Eros.

"This maneuver was only the beginning," says Dr. Robert Farquhar, NEAR mission director. "In less than two weeks we'll bring NEAR Shoemaker closer than any spacecraft has ever been to an asteroid."

An engine burn Oct. 20 will circularize the 31-mile orbit, before a maneuver Oct. 25 starts NEAR Shoemaker on a gradual pass to within 4 miles (between 5 to 6 kilometers) of the asteroid's surface. That's closer than commercial airliners cruise over land - and a spot from which the NEAR team figures to gather some breathtaking data.

"We'll get our highest-resolution images so far," says Dr. Andrew Cheng, NEAR project scientist. "I really hope to get a look at the structure of the rocks and learn a lot more about the small-scale grooves and ridges - though we'll be so close I think the team is excited about any images the spacecraft takes."

Several hours after the closest approach - which actually happens at around 3 a.m. (EST) on Oct. 26 - another maneuver will lift NEAR Shoemaker toward a 125-mile (200-kilometer) orbit.