DURING CYCLE 1 THE TWO STARS IN ETA CAR THE SUPERLUMINOUS LONG-PERIOD HIGHLY ECCENTRIC COLLIDING-WIND BINARY SYSTEM WILL GO THROUGH PERIASTRON PASSAGE. THE X-RAY EMISSION WILL INCREASE BY ABOUT A FACTOR OF FOUR THEN PLUNGE TO A MINIMUM NEAR INFERIOR CONJUNCTION OF THE PRIMARY STAR. //NICER// MONITORING SPECTROMETRY (80 KSEC TOTAL) IS CRITICAL TO MEASURE VARIATIONS IN X-RAY EMISSION MEASURE AND COLUMN DENSITIES TO MEASURE CHANGES IN THE SHOCKED AND UN-SHOCKED STELLAR WINDS AS A FUNCTION OF ORBITAL PHASE AND TIME AND TO HELP CONSTRAIN THE MECHANISM WHICH CAUSES X-RAY FLARING SEEN IN PREVIOUS CYCLES. THESE MONITORING OBSERVATIONS WILL ALSO PROVIDE CONTEXT OUR FOUR HIGH-RESOLUTION CHANDRA GRATING OBSERVATIONS WHICH WILL OCCUR DURING THE CYCLE 1 INTERVAL.