Planetary Science

NEAR Shoemaker

158 tracked publications and 7,222 citations from 1997–2026. Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker. Launched 1996. Life-cycle cost: $486M in 2025 dollars. Active Mission Window July 1, 1997 to March 1, 2003: 100 publications, 11 top-10% credit.

Orbiter · h-index 49 · 24 papers with 100+ citations · prime mission ended 2001

Lifetime

Scope Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the prime mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Every tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. Methods

Key measures

Active Mission Window · papers July 1, 1997 to March 1, 2003
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed research papers we found for the mission. The list may not be complete. Methods100
CitationsCitations received by the tracked publications in the selected scope. The two windowed scopes count each paper’s citations only within its citation window. Methods1,345
Mean citations per publicationMean citations: total citations divided by tracked publications in the selected scope. One blockbuster paper can lift it. Methods13
Median citations per publicationMedian citations: the middle paper’s citation count in the selected scope; half the papers have more, half fewer. A single blockbuster sways it less than the mean. Methods8
Uncited publicationsUncited publications: papers with no citations in the selected scope. Methods15 (15%)
Top-10% creditTop 10%: among the 10% most-cited papers from this division’s missions, ranked against papers published around the same time. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods11 · 0.98% of division
Top-1% creditTop 1%: among the 1% most-cited papers from this division’s missions within the selected window. Not adjusted for publication year. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods0 · 0% of division
Lifetime indices · every tracked publication to date, in any scope
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods49
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods80
m-index, as of October 4, 2026m-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes, so it belongs to the date shown; it also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods1.6
toritori (total research impact, from ADS): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Methods52
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Methods239

Tracked publications

  1. A Possible Cepheid-like Luminosity Estimator for the Long Gamma-Ray Bursts

    Reichart, Daniel E., 2001, ApJ

    289 citations

  2. Space Weathering of Asteroid Surfaces

    Chapman, Clark R., 2004, AREPS

    245 citations

  3. NEAR at Eros: Imaging and Spectral Results

    Veverka, J., 2000, Sci

    232 citations

  4. The global effects of impact-induced seismic activity on fractured asteroid surface morphology

    Richardson, James E., 2005, Icar

    190 citations

  5. Determination of Shape, Gravity, and Rotational State of Asteroid 433 Eros

    Miller, J. K., 2002, Icar

    181 citations

  6. The nature of ponded deposits on Eros

    Robinson, M. S., 2001, Natur

    172 citations

  7. Radio Science Results During the NEAR-Shoemaker Spacecraft Rendezvous with Eros

    Yeomans, D. K., 2000, Sci

    170 citations

  8. Estimating the Mass of Asteroid 253 Mathilde from Tracking Data During the NEAR Flyby

    Yeomans, D. K., 1997, Sci

    169 citations

  9. NEAR's Flyby of 253 Mathilde: Images of a C Asteroid

    Veverka, J., 1997, Sci

    168 citations

  10. The landing of the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft on asteroid 433 Eros

    Veverka, J., 2001, Natur

    155 citations

  11. Imaging of Small-Scale Features on 433 Eros from NEAR: Evidence for a Complex Regolith

    Veverka, J., 2001, Sci

    154 citations

  12. Eros: Shape, Topography, and Slope Processes

    Thomas, P. C., 2002, Icar

    148 citations

  13. The afterglow of the short/intermediate-duration gamma-ray burst GRB 000301C: A jet at z=2.04

    Jensen, B. L., 2001, A&A

    147 citations

  14. The Shape of 433 Eros from the NEAR-Shoemaker Laser Rangefinder

    Zuber, Maria T., 2000, Sci

    143 citations

  15. The geology of 433 Eros

    Robinson, M. S., 2002, M&PS

    138 citations

  16. Anomalous Orbital-Energy Changes Observed during Spacecraft Flybys of Earth

    Anderson, John D., 2008, PhRvL

    132 citations

  17. Dust transport in photoelectron layers and the formation of dust ponds on Eros

    Colwell, Joshua E., 2005, Icar

    126 citations

  18. NEAR Infrared Spectrometer Photometry of Asteroid 433 Eros

    Clark, Beth E., 2002, Icar

    123 citations

  19. NEAR Encounter with Asteroid 253 Mathilde: Overview

    Veverka, J., 1999, Icar

    122 citations

  20. The Elemental Composition of Asteroid 433 Eros: Results of the NEAR-Shoemaker X-ray Spectrometer

    Trombka, J. I., 2000, Sci

    122 citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Astrophysics Data System (ADS) for peer-reviewed articles naming NEAR Shoemaker in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces. SciX is ADS’s current interface.

((=abs:"NEAR Shoemaker" OR =abs:"Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous" OR =abs:"NEAR spacecraft" OR =abs:"NEAR mission" OR =abs:"NEAR probe" OR =abs:"NEAR probes" OR (=abs:"NEAR flyby" AND (title:Mathilde OR abs:Mathilde)) OR =abs:"NEAR target 253 Mathilde" OR =abs:"NEAR observations" OR =abs:"NEAR results" OR =abs:"NEAR data" OR =abs:"NEAR images" OR =abs:"NEAR imaging" OR =abs:"NEAR found Eros" OR =abs:"NEAR space probe" OR =abs:"NEAR spacecraft images" OR =abs:"NEAR Doppler tracking" OR =abs:"NEAR Multispectral Imager" OR =abs:"NEAR multispectral imaging" OR =title:"NEAR at Eros" OR =title:"NEAR at Mathilde" OR (abs:"Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous" AND (=title:"433 Eros" OR =title:"253 Mathilde"))) AND (title:Eros OR title:Mathilde OR =abs:"433 Eros" OR =abs:"253 Mathilde" OR (abs:Eros AND abs:asteroid) OR (abs:Mathilde AND abs:asteroid))) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[1997-07 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "AIASJ" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NewSc" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Added after review (26)

  1. Calibration of Radiometric Data for Relativity and Solar Plasma During a Solar Conjunction Relativity and solar plasma measured with NEAR radio tracking during its 1997 solar conjunction. Decision 🤖
  2. Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Spacecraft Solar Conjunction Experiment NEAR spacecraft solar conjunction experiment (January 1997 cruise, pre-prime). No abstract in ADS; verified acceptable by the owner. Decision 👨
  3. Anomalous Orbital-Energy Changes Observed during Spacecraft Flybys of Earth Reports the Earth flyby anomaly, including NEAR's January 1998 flyby tracking data. Decision 🤖
  4. Lorentz Accelerations in the Earth Flyby Anomaly Tests an explanation of the Earth flyby anomaly using NEAR's 1998 flyby data. Decision 🤖
  5. The Effect of General Relativity on Hyperbolic Orbits and Its Application to the Flyby Anomaly Compares relativistic effects with the anomaly measured in NEAR's 1998 Earth flyby. Decision 🤖
  6. Observational evidence for travelling wave modes bearing distance proportional shifts Analyses radar and Deep Space Network tracking of NEAR's 1998 Earth flyby. Decision 🤖
  7. Intercomparison of NEAR and Wind interplanetary coronal mass ejection observations Compares coronal mass ejections in NEAR and Wind magnetometer data from cruise. Decision 🤖
  8. Interplanetary Magnetic Clouds: Statistical Patterns and Radial Variations Uses flux ropes seen at Earth and by NEAR during cruise to study their radial speeds. Decision 🤖
  9. Multiple spacecraft flux rope modeling of the Bastille Day magnetic cloud Models the Bastille Day magnetic cloud from ACE and NEAR cruise magnetometer data. Decision 🤖
  10. Prediction in Real Time of the 2000 July 14 Heliospheric Shock Wave and its Companions During the `Bastille' Epoch* Tests shock-arrival forecasts against disturbances measured at NEAR during cruise. Decision 🤖
  11. The helicial flux rope structure of solar filaments Links an erupting solar filament to a flux rope detected by NEAR's magnetometer. Decision 🤖
  12. Comparison of Interplanetary Disturbances at the NEAR Spacecraft with Coronal Mass Ejections at the Sun Matches interplanetary disturbances recorded by NEAR with coronal mass ejections. Decision 🤖
  13. Interplanetary Network Localization of GRB 991208 and the Discovery of its Afterglow Gamma-ray burst localisation using NEAR's burst detector in the interplanetary network. Decision 🤖
  14. The afterglow of the short/intermediate-duration gamma-ray burst GRB 000301C: A jet at z=2.04 Presents NEAR and Ulysses detections of gamma-ray burst GRB 000301C. Decision 🤖
  15. A Possible Cepheid-like Luminosity Estimator for the Long Gamma-Ray Bursts Gamma-ray burst luminosity study using light curves that include NEAR data. Decision 🤖
  16. The Interplanetary Network Supplement to the Burst and Transient Source Experiment 5B Catalog of Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts Gamma-ray burst localisations from timing between Ulysses, NEAR and CGRO. Decision 🤖
  17. Inflight Calibration of the NEAR Multispectral Imager In-flight calibration of the NEAR Multispectral Imager. Decision 🤖
  18. Inflight Calibration of the NEAR Multispectral Imager. II. Results from Eros Approach and Orbit In-flight calibration of the NEAR Multispectral Imager during Eros approach and orbit. Decision 🤖
  19. Preliminary Remediation of Scattered Light in NEAR MSI Images Corrects scattered light in NEAR Multispectral Imager images. Decision 🤖
  20. In-Flight Calibration of the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission's Near Infrared Spectrometer. I. Initial Calibrations In-flight calibration of the NEAR Near Infrared Spectrometer. Decision 🤖
  21. Instrument Calibrations and Data Analysis Procedures for the NEAR X-Ray Spectrometer Calibration and data analysis procedures for the NEAR X-ray spectrometer. Decision 🤖
  22. Calibration of the NEAR Gamma-Ray Spectrometer Calibration of the NEAR gamma-ray spectrometer. Decision 🤖
  23. In-Flight Calibration of the NEAR Magnetometer In-flight calibration of the NEAR magnetometer. Decision 🤖
  24. Radiation effects on the proportional counter X-ray detectors on board the NEAR spacecraft In-flight radiation effects on NEAR's X-ray proportional counters during cruise. Decision 🤖
  25. Radiation effects in the Si-PIN detector on the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission In-flight radiation effects and anomalies of NEAR's solar X-ray monitor. Decision 🤖
  26. Data management and analysis techniques used in the near X-ray and gamma-ray spectrometer systems Data management and analysis techniques for NEAR's X-ray and gamma-ray spectrometers. Decision 🤖

Removed after review (2)

  1. 2012ExA....33..645B Describes the proposed ESA MarcoPolo-R mission; not NEAR. Decision 🤖
  2. Once upon an asteroid News commentary on other papers about NEAR's landing; not a research paper. Decision 🤖