☄️🚀 NASA NEAR Shoemaker Touches Down on Asteroid Eros A historic landing on a world barely held together by gravity. In 2001, NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker became the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid, gently touching the surface of 433 Eros after a year in orbit. The mission revealed Eros as a rubble-covered, cratered relic from the early solar system—offering priceless clues about how planets formed. | Space Xplore

On February 12, 2001, NASA landed a spacecraft on an asteroid! After a five-year mission, the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft touched down on the near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros. More Space History 👉https://trib.al/NE8PmAU This was the first soft landing on an asteroid, and it was supposed to be the last thing NEAR-Shoemaker ever did. But NASA was surprised to find that the spacecraft was still intact and totally fine after hitting the asteroid. Instead of ending the mission as planned, NASA spent a cou

On February 12, 2001, NASA landed a spacecraft on an asteroid! After a five-year mission, the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft touched down on the near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros. Discover more space history 👉https://space-com.visitlink.me/tBILEJ This was the first soft landing on an asteroid, and it was supposed to be the last thing NEAR-Shoemaker ever did. But NASA was surprised to find that the spacecraft was still intact and totally fine after hitting the asteroid. Instead of ending the mission as pl

Asteroid 433 Eros Captured by NEAR in 2000 3.2.26 The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft captured this movie of Eros on December 3-4, 2000, while in orbit 125 miles (200 km) from the center of this asteroid. Image Credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory • NEAR’s primary goal was to rendezvous with asteroid 433 Eros, some 221 million miles (355 million kilometers) from Earth, and gather data on its geophysical properties, mineral components, morphology, internal mass distributio