Near‐Earth asteroid mission to travel to 433 Eros
1996; Wiley; Volume: 77; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1029/96eo00046
ISSN2324-9250
AutoresL. A. McFadden, C. T. Russell, A. F. Cheng,
Tópico(s)Astro and Planetary Science
ResumoJust after Valentine's Day the Near‐Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft is scheduled to embark on a 3‐year long journey to the asteroid Eros (Figure 1) to study its geophysical state and its geochemistry. The three‐axis stabilized spacecraft, which is passively cooled and powered with fixed solar panels (Figure 2), was built by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. It will launch aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral on February 16. To further our understanding of asteroids and their role in the formation of the solar system, the spacecraft will orbit Eros for a year after its trajectory through the inner solar system (Figure 3). Once it arrives in February 1999, NEAR will use five scientific instruments to make measurements and transmit data to Earth through a 1.5‐m, fixed, high‐gain antenna at rates up to 27 kbits/s.
Referência(s)