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Topographic Profiles from th
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PIA02486
Sol (our sun)
Laser Rangefinder
| Title |
Topographic Profiles from the NEAR Laser Rangefinder |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The NEAR Laser Rangefinder obtained this "staircase" altimetric profile from within the wall of the 6 kilometer (3.7 mile) diameter crater shown in the image inset. The profile represents ten minutes of data obtained from a range of 217 km (135 miles) on March 2, 2000. The purple points are a plot of radius from the center of Eros (left axis), and the blue points show the same measurements but with the overall trend removed (right axis). The laser track runs from left to right approximately in a line along the major axis of the red ellipse drawn on the image. The laser profile reveals a series of shallow depressions, about 50 to 80 meters (162 to 260 feet) wide and 5 to 10 meters (16 to 32 feet) deep, that may be a chain of pits or craters. Alternatively, the "staircase" profile may be the signature of a series of small ridges. The spatial structure and origin of the features producing the staircase will be revealed as the laser rangefinder accumulates elevation measurements during its one-year mapping mission of Eros. Built and managed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, NEAR was the first spacecraft launched in NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, small-scale planetary missions. See the NEAR web page at http://near.jhuapl.edu for more details. |
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The View from Low Orbit
PIA02905
Sol (our sun)
Multi-Spectral Imager
| Title |
The View from Low Orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Eros, taken from the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft on May 1, 2000, is among the first to be returned from "low orbit." Between May and August, the spacecraft will orbit at altitudes near 50 kilometers (31 miles) or less. This will be the prime period of activity for some of the spacecraft's science instruments. The X-ray / gamma-ray spectrometer will build up maps of chemical abundances, while the laser rangefinder measures the shape of Eros to within meters (a few feet). At the same time the magnetometer will watch for indications of Eros' magnetic field and the near-infrared spectrometer will map rock types. The imager will take pictures of the entire surface of Eros that capture features as small as 4 meters (13 feet) across. This particular image, taken from an orbital altitude of 53 kilometers (33 miles), shows a scene about 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) across. Numerous craters and boulders as small as 8 meters (26 feet) across dot the landscape. The large, rectangular boulder at the upper right is 45 meters (148 feet) across. Built and managed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, NEAR was the first spacecraft launched in NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, small-scale planetary missions. See the NEAR web page at http://near.jhuapl.edu for more details. |
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