Dawn Finds Asteroid Vesta is Rich in Hydrogen

(Before It's News)

This map from NASA’s Dawn mission shows the global distribution of hydrogen on the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/PSI/MPS/DLR/IDA

The giant asteroid Vesta appears to have a bellyful of hydrogen. Data from the Dawn spacecraft reveals hydrated minerals in a wide area around Vesta’s equator. While Dawn did not find actual water ice, there are signs of hydrated minerals such as hydroxyl in the giant asteroid’s chemistry and geology.

“The source of the hydrogen within Vesta’s surface appears to be hydrated minerals delivered by carbon-rich space rocks that collided with Vesta at speeds slow enough to preserve their volatile content,” said Thomas Prettyman, lead scientist for Dawn’s gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) from the Planetary Science Institute.

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Post tags: dawn, vesta

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