Just before 3 a.m. (EDT) today, NEAR Shoemaker successfully dipped to about three miles (5.3 kilometers) over Eros' surface, taking ../../../images and collecting data from a distance closer than any spacecraft has ever come to an asteroid.

"We expect to get clear ../../../images of boulders as small as two feet across and see ridges and craters in exquisite detail," says Dr. Andrew F. Cheng, NEAR project scientist. "The laser rangefinder and X-ray spectrometer will also obtain their highest resolution data to date."

Eros from 5 miles away, covered with rocks of all sizes and shapes on a gently rolling, cratered surface. The large boulder at the center of the scene is about 82 feet (25 meters) across. (Click image for full size view)

An engine burn put the spacecraft in a highly elliptical 31-by-13 mile (50-by-21 kilometer) orbit which included the close approach. Another maneuver later today sent NEAR Shoemaker, traveling at a speed of 14 miles per hour, toward a higher, more stable orbit, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) above the asteroid, where it will stay for the next month. "The whole sequence has gone smoothly," says NEAR mission operations team member Bob Nelson.

"Our proximity to Eros will be equivalent to the cruising altitude of a commuter airplane on Earth," says Dr. Robert W. Farquhar, NEAR mission director. "When you consider that the asteroid is tumbling end to end in its orbit, getting this close is a little tricky, but we're very well-prepared." The spacecraft took ../../../images and collected data for more than five hours during its descent. It stayed at the lowest altitude for approximately 30 minutes before moving away due to the asteroid's rotation and its irregular shape.

../../../images from the low altitude flyby can be seen at the NEAR Web site. Click here for the full story of NEAR's close encounter.

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