Small-body mission · NASA / JHU APL

NEAR Shoemaker

NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission — the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid (433 Eros) and, in an unplanned finale, the first to soft-land on one. It mapped Eros for a year before its controlled descent in 2001.

CompletedOrbiter Mission Rendezvous Mission Lander Mission Flyby Mission

This is the small-body-missions view of NEAR Shoemaker. See its main mission page for the full profile.

Targets & sample

Target bodies:433 Eros

Also:Asteroid 433 Eros (orbit + landing); asteroid 253 Mathilde (flyby, 1997)

Mission & science

Goals: Orbit a near-Earth asteroid and characterise its shape, composition, and interior.
Engineering milestones: First asteroid orbiter (2000); first asteroid soft landing (2001).
Science discoveries: Eros is a consolidated, undifferentiated body — not a rubble pile — with a regolith-covered surface.
Outcome: Complete success; the first mission of NASA's Discovery Program.

Knowledge connections

Visited433 Eros
Member of groupOrbiter Mission
Member of groupRendezvous Mission
Member of groupLander Mission
Member of groupFlyby Mission
Launched byDelta II
Operated byNASA
Orbited433 Eros
Landed on433 Eros
Associated withProximity Operations

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

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Mission & science

Goals

Orbit a near-Earth asteroid and characterise its shape, composition, and interior.

Engineering milestones

First asteroid orbiter (2000); first asteroid soft landing (2001).

Science discoveries

Eros is a consolidated, undifferentiated body — not a rubble pile — with a regolith-covered surface.

Outcome

Complete success; the first mission of NASA's Discovery Program.

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics

Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.