February 17th in Astronomy and Space Science
![]() | 1996 | US launches the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission to asteroid 433 Eros. It would enter orbit around Eros in February 2000 and set down on it in 2001. |
![]() | 1998 | The Voyager 1 spacecraft passes the Pioneer 10 spacecraft to become the most distant human-made object in space. |