First Full-Frame Image of Vesta
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Dawn, NASA’s first spacecraft to orbit an object in the asteroid belt has started the science portion of its mission. Starting August 11th Dawn will orbit Vesta at an altitude of just under 3,000 kilometers. Dawn and Vesta are just under 200 million kilometers from Earth.
Below is the first “full-frame” image from the Dawn spacecraft, taken with the craft’s “framing” camera, which is used to aid in navigation and mission preparation. Vesta is pockmarked by numerous craters and many other interesting features. Due to Vesta’s short rotation period (~ 5 hours) NASA has been able to obtain images of the entire asteroid. Interestingly enough, researchers believe that Vesta may be a main source of meteorites that fall to Earth.
(Note: This month’s issue of “Astronomy” magazine has an article on recovering Vesta fragments in Tunisia (pg 54))
In a NASA Press Release, Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer and mission manager states: “Now that we are in orbit around one of the last unexplored worlds in the inner solar system, we can see that it’s a unique and fascinating place…”
Chris Russell, Dawn’s principal investigator at UCLA adds: “We have been calling Vesta the smallest terrestrial planet. The latest imagery provides much justification for our expectations. They show that a variety of processes were once at work on the surface of Vesta and provide extensive evidence for Vesta’s planetary aspirations.”
If you’d like to learn more about NASA’s Dawn mission, you can read more at: http://www.nasa.gov/dawn
NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the giant asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on July 24, 2011.
The image was taken from a distance of about 3,200 miles (5,200 kilometers). Dawn entered orbit around Vesta on July 15, and will spend a year orbiting the body. After that, the next stop on its itinerary will be an encounter with the dwarf planet Ceres.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Source(s):NASA/JPL Press Release, Dawn Mission Page
Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer
2012-12-04 08:06:28
Source: http://www.dearastronomer.com/2011/08/02/first-full-frame-image-of-vesta/
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