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Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shomaker

Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shomaker

An artist's conception of the NEAR
	Shoemaker spacecraft orbiting Eros

An artist's conception of the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft orbiting Eros. (Credit: NASA)

Lifetime: February 1996 - February 2001

Country (primary): United States

Primary Science

The primary science goals of the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shomaker mission, called NEAR Shoemaker for short, were to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from orbit for a year. In addition, NEAR Shoemaker touched down on Eros, returning the highest resolution pictures of an asteroid's surface.

High Energy Science

One of the five instruments on the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft was the X-ray/gamma-ray spectrometer. It was designed primarily for determining the surface/near-surface elemental composition of Eros, but were also used to make measurements of the diffuse X-ray and gamma-ray background during the cruise phase of the mission.

Science Highlights

  • Detected gamma-ray bursts and provided localization information as part of the Interplanetary network

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A service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), Dr. Andy Ptak (Director), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/GSFC

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