Happy landing: Craft descends onto Eros
By Ron Cowen
What could be better than landing a spacecraft for the first time on an asteroid?
The ability to do research once the craft has landed.
On Feb. 12, the unmanned spacecraft NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) Shoemaker touched down on the asteroid 433 Eros, the twirling, elongated space rock that the craft had orbited for nearly a year (SN: 11/4/00, p. 293). During its descent, the craft’s camera recorded close-ups of an asteroid that were 10 times as sharp as any previously taken.