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Ten Years of Dawn: A Decade of Operations for Humanity’s First Double-Orbiter
“I’m ecstatic,” said Sarah Gavit of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in December 2001, when the space agency announced that the Dawn mission to orbit and explore the dwarf planets Ceres and Vesta—a pair of worlds deep within the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter—was to go ahead. Earlier that year, Dawn had been selected, alongside a […] More
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in News, NASA, AmericaSpace, Space, Science, JPL, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dawn, Space Exploration, press release, astronomy, Technology, Exploration, Solar System, Research, News Release, European Southern Observatory (ESO)The Changing Bright Spots of Ceres: New Evidence for Geological Activity?
Ceres is the king of the asteroid belt, being the largest object in that region of the Solar System, and the Dawn spacecraft has shown it to be a very interesting world. While it is relatively small, classified as a dwarf planet, and very cold being so far from the Sun, there are hints that […] More
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in News, Tech, NASA, AmericaSpace, Space, Science, JPL, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dawn, Space Exploration, Earth, Technology, Exploration, asteroids, Solar System, Research, habitability, Pluto, Deep Space NetworkDawn Spacecraft Begins Extensive Study of Dwarf Planet Ceres from Lowest Orbit
The Dawn spacecraft just recently entered its lowest and final orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres, providing the closest look ever at the puzzling world. Dawn will, of course, be taking thousands more high-resolution photographs, but what else will it be doing during the remainder of its mission? Various aspects of the mission will study […] More
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in News, Tech, NASA, AmericaSpace, Space, Science, JPL, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dawn, Space Exploration, press release, New Horizons, Technology, Exploration, Comets, Solar System, Research, News Release, PlutoFirst High-Resolution Images Released of Ceres from Dawn’s New Lowest Orbit
NASA has released the first images of the dwarf planet Ceres from the Dawn spacecraft’s new lowest orbit. This is the closest view that Dawn will have of Ceres and its intriguing white spots, providing an unprecedented look at this small but fascinating world. More
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in News, NASA, AmericaSpace, Science, JPL, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dawn, Space Exploration, Earth, multispectral imaging, Vesta, Technology, Exploration, asteroids, Comets, Solar System, Research, Herschel Space ObservatoryMystery Solved? Odd Bright Spots on Ceres Explained as Salt Deposits
There now might be a definitive answer to a puzzle which has intrigued both scientists and the public for some time: What are those odd bright spots on the dwarf planet Ceres? A new study suggests they are a type of salt, originating from a subsurface layer of briny water-ice. Another study points to the […] More
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in News, NASA, AmericaSpace, Spaceflight, Space, Science, Dawn, Space Exploration, Deep Space NetworkNASA’s Dawn Spirals to Final Science Orbit, Poised to Return Up-Close Images
While another mission to a dwarf planet (New Horizons) captured the attention of the world this summer upon its arrival at Pluto, NASA’s Dawn mission quietly proceeded, returning data and striking images from another largely unknown world, the dwarf planet Ceres. NASA announced that the spacecraft is currently descending to its terminal orbit, the Low […] More
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A Deeper Understanding: Dawn Reaches Third Science Orbit, Shows Closest View of Ceres Yet
2015 may be shaping up to be one of the biggest years in deep space exploration’s history, with historic milestones achieved by several spacecraft including Rosetta, Curiosity, and New Horizons. While the world was enthralled by New Horizons’ Pluto flyby during the summer months, another spacecraft with otherworldly targets quietly maneuvered to its third orbit, […] More
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Dawn En Route to Third Science Orbit, New Maps Reveal Astonishing Peaks and Depths
“Each time dawn appears, the mystery is there in its entirety.” — Rene Daumal While astronaut Scott Kelly’s “Year in Space” mission helps researchers understand the effects of long-duration space travel on humans, 2015 continues to be a watershed year in the fields of planetary and cometary science. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft recently completed the […] More
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in NASA, JPL, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dawn, Space Exploration, German Aerospace Center, Solar System
Highest-Resolution Views Yet Reveal Ceres’ Mysterious Bright Spots, Seemingly Comprised of Multiple ‘Icy Spots’
The highest-resolution images yet obtained of Ceres’ alien terrain by NASA’s recently arrived Dawn orbiter spacecraft reveal that the mysterious pair of eye-like bright spots are actually comprised of a multitude of spots that may be “icy,” the science team tells AmericaSpace. Spectral measurements from NASA’s just-released imagery of the closest-yet views of dwarf planet […] More
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in NASA, JPL, Kennedy Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dawn, Space Exploration, German Aerospace Center, asteroids, Solar System
Dawn Divulges Diverse Terrain in First Color Map of Ceres and North Pole View
Scientists spearheading the Dawn mission to dwarf planet Ceres have published the first color map of the mysterious world since the NASA probe successfully arrived in orbit on March 6. The color map from Dawn reveals a highly diverse body that was active in the past and may still be active today, researchers revealed when […] More
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in NASA, JPL, Hubble Space Telescope, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dawn, German Aerospace Center, Astrobiology, asteroids, CNES, Solar System
NASA’s Dawn, Historic First Mission to Dwarf Planet Ceres, Achieves Orbit
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft became humanity’s first mission to orbit a dwarf planet when it was successfully captured by Ceres’ gravity this morning, Friday, March 6, at about 7:39 a.m. EST (4:39 a.m. PST). Dawn was approximately 38,000 miles (61,000) kilometers distant at the moment it slipped into orbit around Ceres, an icy world which is […] More
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in NASA, Space, JPL, Kennedy Space Center, Orbital Sciences, United Launch Alliance, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Delta II, Dawn, Space Exploration, ULA, Vesta, asteroids, Solar System
First Mission to Dwarf Planet Set for Ceres Arrival, Sees Surprising ‘Bright Spots’ Beyond Compare
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is about to become history’s first mission to visit a dwarf planet, and it’s being greeted by “bright spots” on Ceres‘ surface that truly have “no analog in the Solar System,” Prof. Chris Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission, based at the University of California, Los Angeles, told AmericaSpace exclusively. It […] More
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