AAS 95-378

NEAR-Eros 1996: Mission Overview and Trajectory Design

R. W. Farquhar, D. W. Dunham and J. V. McAdams, Applied Physics Lab., Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD

Abstract

The Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission will be the first launch in NASA's new series of low-cost planetary missions called "Discovery". In February 1996, a Delta-2 rocket will place NEAR into a two-year VEGA trajectory that will arrive at the large near-Earth asteroid, 433 Eros, on February 6, 1999. On its way to Eros, NEAR will perform a flyby of the main-belt asteroid, 253 Mathilde, on June 27, 1997. Among its many spaceflight 'firsts", NEAR will be the first spacecraft to orbit a small body.