Imaging of asteroid 433 eros during NEAR's flyby reconnaissance
During the 23 December 1998 flyby of asteroid 433 Eros, the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft obtained 222 images of Eros, as well as supporting spectral observations. The images cover slightly more than two-thirds of Eros (best resolution is approximately 400 meters per pixel) and reveal an elongated, cratered body with a linear feature extending for at least 20 kilometers. Our observations show that Eros has dimensions of 33 x 13 x 13 kilometers. The volume, combined with the mass determined by the NEAR radio science experiment, leads to a density of 2.5 +/- 0.8 grams per cubic centimeter. This relatively high density, and the presence of an extensive linear feature, suggest that Eros may be a structurally coherent body.
Space Sciences Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Department of Geological Sciences, Northwestern University, 309 Locy Hall, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA. Sou.
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