DC Agle 818-393-9011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. david.c.agle@xxxxxxxx
Dwayne Brown 202-358-1726 Headquarters,
Allard Beutel 321-867-2468 allard.beutel@xxxxxxxx
NEWS RELEASE: 2007-111 Sept. 27, 2007
NASA'S Dawn Spacecraft Enroute to Shed Light on Asteroid Belt
Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
"Dawn has risen, and the spacecraft is healthy," said the mission's project manager Keyur Patel of JPL. "About this time tomorrow [Friday morning], we will have passed the moon's orbit."
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 will travel back in time by probing deep into the asteroid belt," said Dawn Principal Investigator Christopher Russell,
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 engines but can maintain thrust for months at a time.
The management of the Dawn launch was the responsibility of NASA's
The Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology,
The
To learn more about Dawn and its mission to the asteroid belt, visit:
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