THE NEAR X-RAY GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETER

The X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Spectrometer on the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will remotely sense X-ray and gamma-ray emissions f rom the surface of near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros and look for character istic ''signatures'' in those emissions to determine its elemental com position. During the planned 10 months of orbits about Eros beginning in early 1999, data returned from the instrument will be used to devel op global maps of the asteroid, including the content and variations o f its surface composition, thereby providing important clues about its nature and origin.