On July 7, 2007 NASA will launch its next explorer into the Solar System. This spacecraft’s destinations are the asteroids Ceres and Vesta, where it will help answer many unknowns about the formation and structure of these minor planets. As part of the mission, the Hubble Space Telescope captured high resolution images of the two objects, and the photos were released today.
Dawn will go into orbit around Vesta in 2011, spend a few years examining it, and then move on to Ceres. It will arrive at its second destination in 2015. This will make it the first spacecraft to ever orbit two different objects in the Solar System.
So there you go Dawn, take these pictures along, so you’ll recognize the asteroids when you see them.
Original Source: Hubble News Release
No human being will ever encounter a black hole. But we can't stop wondering what…
The Sun is increasing its intensity on schedule, continuing its approach to solar maximum. In…
Does another undetected planet languish in our Solar System's distant reaches? Does it follow a…
It's that time again. NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) has announced six concepts that will…
On Friday, May 3rd, the sixth mission in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (Chang'e-6) launched…
Earth is the only life-supporting planet we know of, so it's tempting to use it…