Eros

**Eros** was a Mars-crossed, near-Earth asteroid on the edge of the asteroid belt of the Sol system. Its official designation was **433 Eros**. It was the second-largest near-Earth asteroid, with a diameter of approximately 16.8 kilometers -- large enough to wipe out all of the simplest lifeforms on Earth, and many of the more complex ones, were it ever to strike the planet. Its shape had been compared to a lumpy potato.

## History

Eros was first discovered by humans in 1898 CE by Carl Gustav Witt. Studies of the asteroid commenced almost immediately, with efforts made to measure its distance from the sun with a definitive measurement being made in 1968 CE. Eros was the first asteroid detected by Arecibo Observatory, and was the first asteroid orbited by a human spacecraft in 2000 CE with the NEAR Shoemaker, which also landed on the asteroid in 2001 CE.

Eros became one of the first asteroids to be colonized, becoming known as **Eros Station**. Its shape had made it much more difficult to spin up to create artificial gravity within the hollowed out caverns its inhabitants lived within, but a high enough velocity was achieved to make this possible. Although its mines had produced the ore, and its smelters had refined it, that allowed the colonization of the Belt and the outer planets of the Sol system, ultimately Eros became something of a slum as its resources were used up and its primary industry turned to ship construction and repair. However, as it became a regular port of call to ships heading deeper into the system, casinos and brothels also flourished. On Earth it was also colloquially known as "the murder capitol of the Belt."

### Eros Incident

The corporate security of Eros was handled by Protogen, who eventually installed CPM Security Corporation in their stead -- in preparation for large scale experimentation with the protomolecule. When this occurred, one and a half million people called Eros home. It was about this time that Julie Mao arrived on Eros after escaping from the *Anubis*, unaware that she had already been infected. Upon learning of her infection, she sealed herself in a room at a flophouse -- where she ultimately died. Protogen intentionally infected the rest of the asteroid colony with the protomolecule and then spread radiation to allow it to grow. Only a handful of people escaped aboard the *Rocinante*. Internal feeds would later reveal that the protomolecule continued to grow and survive even after everyone in the asteroid was dead -- the protomolecule itself was making noise, some of which could be recognized as words.

In order to prevent the infection from spreading to the rest of the Sol system, explosives were planted on the outside of the asteroid by Josephus Miller and a team of OPA operatives. During the mission, one of the nuclear bombs was damaged -- forcing Miller to remain on the station to keep it from detonating too early. Meanwhile, the *Nauvoo* had been launched at the asteroid as a sort of battering ram to set off the explosives.

And then the impossible happened -- Eros moved itself out of the way of the *Nauvoo* and set itself on a trajectory with Earth. While the entire Sol system scrambled to figure out what was happening and how to stop the rogue asteroid that was defying the laws of physics, Miller discovered that Julie Mao's mind had merged with the protomolecule and was guiding it "home" as if she were racing her ship the *Razorback*. Miller found her body in the midst of the asteroid and convinced her to change course, causing the asteroid to collide into Venus where it was destroyed.

## Source

Eros is derived from the real world and from *The Expanse*. For canon information, please visit:

* Wikipedia
* The Expanse Wiki