Visitors Now:
Total Visits:
Total Stories:

By Universe Today (Reporter)
Contributor profile | More stories

Story Views
Now:
Last Hour:
Last 24 Hours:
Total:

On to Ceres: Dawn Spacecraft Ready to Say Farewell to Asteroid Vesta

Friday, August 31, 2012 11:40

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

(Before It's News)

The feat has never been accomplished before and next week’s departure for the Dawn spacecraft from Vesta will be monumental. Dawn is on track to become the first probe to orbit and study two distant solar system destinations. The spacecraft is scheduled to leave the giant asteroid Vesta on Sept. 4 PDT (Sept. 5 EDT) to start its two-and-a-half-year journey to the dwarf planet Ceres.

“Thrust is engaged, and we are now climbing away from Vesta atop a blue-green pillar of xenon ions,” said Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer and mission director. “We are feeling somewhat wistful about concluding a fantastically productive and exciting exploration of Vesta, but now have our sights set on dwarf planet Ceres.
(…)
Read the rest of On to Ceres: Dawn Spacecraft Ready to Say Farewell to Asteroid Vesta (316 words)