Although Eros does not come close enough to Earth for a collision, other asteroids in different orbits might. Indeed, many space rocks have struck Earth in the distant past. Even now 40 to 100 tons of smaller interplanetary debris and dust fall into Earths atmosphere daily. If a rock larger than two-thirds of a mile in diameter should slam into Earth, tidal waves, firestorms, and other traumas could spell disaster for civilization and possibly even for all of life on the planet. In early 2000, after nearly four years en route, NEAR had a year to examine the curious object from all angles, both in darkness and in sunlight, and from distances ranging from 200 miles down to as close as 22 miles. In a four-hour finale Feb. 14, 2001, NEAR settled onto the surface of Eros at merely walking speed, to rest on the tips of two solar panels and the bottom edge of the spacecrafts body.http://www.cosmiverse.com/space04080203.html
