The American space agency's Dawn spacecraft began circling Vesta, a member of the asteroid belt that orbits the sun.

VOA: special.2011.07.27

Knowing more about how the Yarkovsky effect changes an asteroid's orbit will help scientists better predict whether RQ36 will come near Earth.

VOA: special.2011.06.22

The company's first asteroid launch was scrapped in January and has been put off indefinitely.

FORBES: Lost in Space

Philadelphia's The Asteroid No. 4 takes dreamy shoegazer pop and mixes in elements of '60s psychedelia and latter-day space rock to create a folk-rock sound that falls somewhere between The Byrds and The Stone Roses.

NPR: The Asteroid No. 4: 'Let It Go'

For the next year, Near's instruments will continue to examine the potato-shaped asteroid's chemistry, geology, and evolutionary history.

BBC: Eros is 'no ordinary rock'