Astrogeology: The face of Eros

Cover photo: NASA

NASA's NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft landed on the asteroid 433 Eros, 145 million miles from Earth, on 12 February this year. During the final descent 70 high-resolution images of the asteroid's surface were obtained (see movie on http://near.jhuapl.edu/NEAR), revealing the surface in remarkable detail. These images have now been analysed and three papers in this issue report the results. Parts of the asteroid's surface are covered with loose debris, possibly originating from a relatively young 7.6-km-diameter impact crater, and other areas are covered with distinctive smooth dusty surfaces.

letters to nature
The landing of the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft on asteroid 433 Eros
J. VEVERKA, B. FARQUHAR, M. ROBINSON, P. THOMAS, S. MURCHIE, A. HARCH, P. G. ANTREASIAN, S. R. CHESLEY, J. K. MILLER, W. M. OWEN, JR B. G. WILLIAMS, D. YEOMANS, D. DUNHAM, G. HEYLER, M. HOLDRIDGE, R. L. NELSON, K. E. WHITTENBURG, J. C. RAY, B. CARCICH, A. CHENG, C. CHAPMAN, J. F. BELL, III M. BELL, B. BUSSEY, B. CLARK, D. DOMINGUE, M. J. GAFFEY, E. HAWKINS, N. IZENBERG, J. JOSEPH, R. KIRK, P. LUCEY, M. MALIN, L. MCFADDEN, W. J. MERLINE, C. PETERSON, L. PROCKTER, J. WARREN & D. WELLNITZ
Nature 413, 390-393 (27 September 2001)
| First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (504 K) |

letters to nature
Shoemaker crater as the source of most ejecta blocks on the asteroid 433 Eros
P. C. THOMAS, J. VEVERKA, M. S. ROBINSON & S. MURCHIE
Nature 413, 394-396 (27 September 2001)
| First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (276 K) |

letters to nature
The nature of ponded deposits on Eros
M. S. ROBINSON, P. C. THOMAS, J. VEVERKA, S. MURCHIE & B. CARCICH
Nature 413, 396-400 (27 September 2001)
| First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (287 K) |

news and views
Once upon an asteroid
ERIK ASPHAUG
When the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft landed on the asteroid Eros earlier this year, it provided an unprecedented view of these battered relics from the early Solar System. The next step is to find out what's inside.
Nature 413, 369-370 (27 September 2001)
| Full Text | PDF (130 K) |

feature of the week
The face of Eros

Rock garden on Eros

27 September 2001 table of contents