Public Talks Sept. 20, 2011
Journey to the Asteroid Belt with NASA Dawn Mission's Chief Engineer
Is it an asteroid or a small planet? Dr. Marc Rayman from NASA's Dawn mission exploring the giant asteroid Vesta will answer that question and more during two upcoming speaking engagements.
To Boldly Go ... Well, You Know: NASA's Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt
When: October 3, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Rancho California Water District Bldg., 42125 Winchester Road, Temecula, CA
Sponsored by: Temecula Valley Astronomers Club
Note: Seating is limited
When: October 20, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Donald E. Bianchi Planetarium at California State University, Northridge (Parking available on Zelzah Avenue)
Directions: http://www.csun.edu/aboutCSUN/directions.html
Sponsored by: CSUN Physics and Astronomy Department
Learn more at: http://www.csun.edu/phys/department_guide/colloquia_and_planetarium/planetarium.html
Overview: Join Dr. Marc Rayman, the chief engineer for NASA's Dawn mission, which is exploring the giant asteroid Vesta, for a public talk about Dawn, its use of ion propulsion and its two exotic asteroid belt destinations. And share in the excitement of controlling a spacecraft on a revolutionary journey through space.
The ambitious and exciting Dawn mission is one of NASA's most remarkable ventures into the solar system. Dawn arrived at its first target, the giant asteroid Vesta, in July and has already sent back stunning imagery and fascinating data. And in just a year, it'll begin its journey to a second body in the asteroid belt called Ceres, which is so large that it's included in the category of dwarf planets, along with Pluto. Both are the most massive residents of the asteroid belt and among the last uncharted worlds in the inner solar system.
Dawn, the only spacecraft ever to orbit an object in the asteroid belt and the first ever designed to orbit two solar system bodies, will study these alien landscapes to uncover clues about the evolution and history of the solar system. Such a mission would be impossible without the use of ion propulsion, a technology that has mostly existed in the domain of science fiction, but which was tested extensively on NASA's Deep Space 1 mission, paving the way for Dawn.
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