Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Dawn Spacecraft Begins Approach to Dwarf Planet Ceres

Staff Writer, Nathaniel Diaz
Dawn / NASA 
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As Dawn journeys across our solar system, the spacecraft will unearth the mysteries of more asteroids and a dwarf planet:
"Orbiting both Vesta and Ceres would be truly impossible with conventional propulsion. Thanks to ion propulsion, we're about to make history as the first spaceship ever to orbit two unexplored alien worlds," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Thanks to this new ion propulsion system, we on Earth are in for a treat as Dawn investigates the beginnings of our space home. In fact May 9, 2015 is the date of NASA's Ceres Celebration. 

For more information, pictures, and research, visit: Dawn.


Source: NASA