St. Louis Science Center: Astronomy Fact Of The Day: February 12, 2022

St. Louis MO

13 February, 2022

9:31 AM

Description

Press release from St. Louis Science Center: February 12, 2022 On this date in 2001, the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft landed on the asteroid Eros almost 1 year to the day of entering orbit. Although this spacecraft was not designed to be a lander, it survived the low gravity and low velocity impact. NEAR returned many close-up photos of Eros showing several structural features such as ridges, troughs, and fractures, which are believed to have been formed during large impact events on the asteroid's surface. This press release was produced by St. Louis Science Center. The views expressed here are the author's own.