U. S. Discovery-class mission launched on February 17, 1996. Primary scientific objectives were to return data on the bulk properties, composition, mineralogy, morphology, internal mass distribution, and magnetic field of 433 Eros as the spacecraft orbited the asteroid from February 14, 2000 to February 12, 2001. On February 12, 2001, the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft touched down on 433 Eros. Earlier in the mission, on June 27, 1997, NEAR-Shoemaker flew within 1200 km of the C-class asteroid 253 Mathilde, and it flew by the Earth on January 23, 1998. NEAR website.