Launched: 17 February 1996Status: Not working any more
NEAR Shoemaker
Image: NASA
On the surface of asteroid 433 Eros
In February 2000 it became the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid. A year later, on 12 February 2001, it touched down gently on Eros at about 6 km/h, even though it was never designed to land.
Where is it now?
On the surface of asteroid 433 Eros
The story
Why did it go?
To meet the asteroid 433 Eros and find out what it is made of, how its mass is spread inside, and what its surface is like. It was the first mission in NASA's Discovery program.
In February 2000 it became the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid. A year later, on 12 February 2001, it touched down gently on Eros at about 6 km/h, even though it was never designed to land.
(opens larger view)NEAR's launch in 1996.
Image: MSFC
By the numbers
The mission in numbers
- launch year
- 1996
- from arrival to the end of the mission
- 380 days
- mass
- 805 kg
- type of mission
- Robotic
- objects listed as left behind
- 1
Timeline
The journey, step by step
17 February 1996
Launch
14 February 2000
Arrival in orbit
28 February 2001
Mission ends
Still there today
What did it leave behind?
- Status: Not working any more
NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft
Resting on Eros, an asteroid about 34 km (21 miles) long.
Science legacy
What did we learn?
It mapped more than 70 percent of Eros and sent back 160,000 images, about 10 times more data than planned. It found that Eros has no magnetic field.
Did you know?
It was the first spacecraft ever to land on an asteroid. It sent data from the surface for about two weeks, until the extreme cold, about −173 °C, ended its mission.