In search of new worlds
November 9th 2007 14:50
Spacecraft Dawn undergoing final check before launch
The Dawn express has left Earth to take images and conduct further scientific study of two interesting asteroids, a journey that will take 8 years.
Hubble Space Telescope show images of Vesta and Ceres two of the most massive asteroids in the asteroid belt, a region between Mars and Jupiter. Both solar bodies are well rounded not like the usual “potato” like features that most asteroids see to be. Both dwarf planets seem to have “planet” type features similar to that of Mars although Vesta is more advanced. The images are helping astronomers plan for the Dawn spacecraft’s tour of these hefty asteroids. NASA launched the spacecraft on a eight-year journey to the asteroid belt. Once there, Dawn will do some asteroid-hopping, going into orbit around Vesta in 2011 and Ceres in 2015. Dawn will be the first spacecraft to orbit two targets. At least 100,000 asteroids inhabit the asteroid belt, the remnants of leftover material from the formation of our solar-system planets 4.6 billion years ago.
Image of Vesta taken from the Earth based Hubble Telescope
Images of Ceres and Vesta
Ceres and Vesta are asteroids with minor planet status some astronomers call them dwarf planets they evolved under radically different circumstances in different parts of the solar system more than 4.6 billion years ago. Water kept Ceres cool as it evolved. There is evidence of frost or vapor on its surface and, possibly, liquid water under the surface. Vesta's origins were hot and violent. Its interior is melted its surface remained dry.
As a result of these diverse evolutionary paths, Ceres remains in its primordial state, while Vesta evolved and changed over millions of years. By observing both minor planets with the same set of instruments, Dawn could shed new light on the formation and evolution of our solar system. The space craft will reach both dwarf planets in 2015 that'sroughly 1385 days time.
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Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Reasons; it has water!
We could drop it onto the inner desert area of OZ!!
It would also look nice in the sky at night.
It might be beneficial for our climate, in some way, as is the moon!
AND...if the crap hits the fan here, we could just hop on over to it and start anew, circling our storm ravaged, barren planet Earth...which would look a lot more interesting than the moon at night!
cheers
fog
P.S. Do you think I could get a job at NASA as an ideas man?
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Do we really want to mess with another planet when us humans have made a really good job on this one?
I think it would make a more pleasing anternative to our Moon as far as being much better to look at.
Seems like a scene from the Scifi series Firefly.
You would make an ideal ideas man, NASA needs all the help it can get :0)
Cheers