(CNN) -- Despite the failure of a NASA probe to take close-ups as it passed within 10 miles of a small, potato-shaped asteroid, it has returned a total of four black-and-white images taken 15 minutes after and about an hour before the closest approach.

Engineering and science information from NASA's Deep Space 1 fly-by of asteroid Braille on Thursday was transmitted from the spacecraft to ground controllers, and the mission team continues to analyze the data.

A full report is expected at a news conference Tuesday.

The mission was a success in every other way, validating nearly a dozen technologies rarely if ever used in space exploration -- including an ion propulsion system.

The spacecraft's infrared camera returned spectral data from the fly-by of asteroid Braille, breaking down its reflected light into components to reveal its composition.

Diagnosis of Deep Space 1's apparent target tracking problem continues, with engineers considering whether the asteroid was much dimmer than expected or if the camera was much less sensitive than expected. Both scenarios would explain the camera's failure to snap up-close photos of asteroid Braille.

The spacecraft's xenon ion engine was fired Thursday after the fly-by to push it for the next three months in preparation for possible passes by two comets in the next few years.

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Professor's smog theory wins NASA attention

(CNN) -- For nearly a decade, a University of Washington chemist has argued that tiny particles from industrial pollution actually counterbalance the warming effects of greenhouse gases.

Robert Charlson's theory is based on 30 years of observations and now he will be part of a science team for a NASA satellite aimed at learning more about the role of the small particles, called aerosols, in global climate change.

PICASSO-CENA, a joint French-US mission set for launch in 2003, will use lidar, the optical cousin of radar, to measure how much sunlight is reflected into space by clouds and pollution particles called aerosols.

Charlson was among the first to propose that aerosols reflect enough sunlight away from Earth to offset the effects of greenhouse warming regionally. His 1992 article in Science magazine led to a National Academy of Science panel to study aerosol effects.

"The driving concern is the fact that the human population has changed the chemical composition of the entire atmosphere of the planet," Charlson said.

Aerosols, which come from volcanoes, forest fires, agricultural waste and diesel engines, make up the familiar haze in places like Los Angeles and the eastern seaboard cities

Ironically, with a serious reduction of industrial emissions, the atmosphere's aerosol content could decline quickly, raising the prospect of more rapid climate warming.

The idea of climate change is often expressed as "global warming." But, while the Earth's mean surface temperature has risen about 0.6 degree Celsius this century, some places are actually cooler, perhaps because of the aerosol influence.

Charlson is concerned that oversimplification will lend credence to those who argue there is no reason for concern because the temperature has risen only a fraction of a degree.

Related Site: PICASSO-CENA

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