See this previous article mentioning the "conspiracy theory" about a Hall of Records, NEAR and Eros...

A death-defying comeback might be in store for NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft. The probe is now muted, quietly resting in a no-shout zone on the surface of asteroid 433 Eros.

An attempt to reconnect with NEAR may occur at year's end as the rocky world and Earth move into close proximity and sunlight washes over the spacecraft's energizing solar panels.