Date: 2/28/2005 - “The NEAR Mission at Eros: A Close Look at a Close Asteroid”
Public Lecture (free) Presenter: Dr. Larry R. Nittler, Carnegie Institute, Washington, D.C.. Poultry Science Auditorium, 7:00 PM
For one year starting on February 14, 2000, NASA's NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft orbited the asteroid Eros and returned an enormous bounty of scientific data. Like other near-Earth asteroids, Eros has an orbit that brings it within the orbit of Mars, coming much closer to Earth than does the vast majority of asteroids. The NEAR mission provided the first close-up and detailed view of the geology, mineralogy and composition of a near-Earth asteroid, providing key information on the nature of small bodies in the early solar system, as well as their history and evolution and relationship to meteorites found on Earth. This talk will review the major scientific results of the NEAR mission to Eros.
Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences
202 Old Museum Building, University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA
Tel. 479-575-7625 Fax. 479-575-7778 csaps@uark.edu
For one year starting on February 14, 2000, NASA's NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft orbited the asteroid Eros and returned an enormous bounty of scientific data. Like other near-Earth asteroids, Eros has an orbit that brings it within the orbit of Mars, coming much closer to Earth than does the vast majority of asteroids. The NEAR mission provided the first close-up and detailed view of the geology, mineralogy and composition of a near-Earth asteroid, providing key information on the nature of small bodies in the early solar system, as well as their history and evolution and relationship to meteorites found on Earth. This talk will review the major scientific results of the NEAR mission to Eros.