Imaging of asteroid 433 Eros during NEAR's flyby reconnaissance

During the 23 December 1998 flyby of asteroid 433 Eros, the Near-Earth Aste roid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft obtained 222 images of Eros, as well as s upporting spectral observations. The images cover slightly more than two-th irds of Eros (best resolution is similar to 400 meters per pixel) and revea l 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 ra dio science experiment, Leads to a density of 2.5 +/- 0.8 grams per cubic c entimeter. This relatively high density, and the presence of an extensive L inear feature, suggest that Eros may be a structurally coherent body.