1 m square of asteroid Eros from NEAR

thingiverse

The image showcases a segment of asteroid Eros' surface, obtained by NEAR before its final landing. It wasn't submitted as an impressive model, but rather in response to CosmoWenman's request for an asteroid scan. This particular snapshot is a heightfield rendering from the original picture, which could be printed if placed on a 3D object. The challenge posed by CosmoWenman was intriguing - uploading a derived 3D scan of a 1m x 1m surface area from an asteroid to Thingiverse. However, it must be directly scanned from the original image, taken at an altitude not exceeding 10 meters. Unfortunately, this is somewhat problematic as there are no images available from asteroids captured at such close distances. The nearest attempt was made by NEAR, which captured a 1m x 1m section of Eros' surface from a range of 130 meters before its descent. Another mission, Hayabusa, approached within 23 meters; however, its lander lacked imaging equipment, only possessing a laser altimeter that managed to collect tiny samples. Despite the challenges, this task serves as an opportunity for learning - be precise with your requests when seeking 3D scans or terrains from space missions!