NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is on its way to study a pair of asteroids after lifting off Thursday, September 27, 2007 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:34 am EDT (4:34 am PDT). Mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., received telemetry on schedule at 9:44 am EDT (6:44 am PDT) indicating Dawn had achieved proper orientation in space and its massive solar array was generating power from the sun. During the next 80 days, spacecraft controllers will test and calibrate the myriad of spacecraft systems and subsystems, ensuring Dawn is ready for the long journey ahead. Dawn’s 4.8-billion-kilometer (3-billion-mile) odyssey includes exploration of asteroid Vesta in 2011 and the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015. These two icons of the asteroid belt have been witness to much of our solar system’s history. By using Dawn’s instruments to study both asteroids, scientists more accurately can compare and contrast the two. Dawn’s science instrument suite will measure elemental and mineral composition, shape, surface topography, and tectonic history, and will also seek water-bearing minerals. In addition, the Dawn spacecraft and how it orbits Vesta and Ceres will be used to measure the celestial bodies’ masses and gravity fields. The spacecraft’s engines use a unique, hyper-efficient system called ion propulsion, which uses electricity to ionize xenon to generate thrust. The 30-centimeter-wide (12-inch) ion thrusters provide less power than conventional …
14 Responses
these probes are fantastic. if only they could auto-refuel on the bodies they travel to? if vesta turns out to have a large amount of water ice; this could make it a more desirable destination than Mars for manned expeditions? we’re getting better at this. telemetry is 10 million times better than the 1960’s. If the power could be doubled for currently designed ion engines… there is a myriad of technologies humans have, just need to intergrate together into a fluent and efficient ship?
no to expect a place full of high speed rocks, particles, radiation, absolute zero and whatever else is out there to be anything like safe is just being a pussy about it. We as a race need to face these realities, and press upward and not be cowards.
@bullcurr yea with all the borgs, wraiths, and replicators around. it will never be safe.
haha, awesome
You’re right, it shouldn’t be that hard, now get on it.
1:00 you can see UFO
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you could say that about anything outside your own room, but i think humans are willing to take that risk since it is necessary for the survival of the human race. If we never leave this planet we are a doomed species.
space is too extreme to ever be truly safe
Hopefully one day someone cough*me*cough will create a safer way to get into space….cough*space elevator*cough
ANY GUYS UP?
energetic fun smart and loves this video 3T
dwdrum49 and KH198.
Try learning how to form a coherent sentence, although, come to think im probably lucky that you make no sense.
Like to see nasa admit there are ufos RIGHT HERE on earth and tell the real story about ALIEN LIFE AND SPACECRAFT yours NASA….WHERES THE HYDROGEN FUEL CELL MOTORS?jEFF
What a waste of fuel. NASA are geniuses and yet they still use pathetic technology to get to space. Why not save that fuel for a mission and invent a way to get to space with the use of energy from the vessel. Surly it wouldn’t be to difficult.
Was a rocky mission with a lot of drama, glad to see it finally made it off the ground.