Open AccessNASA's Dawn mission observes asteroid Vesta at low orbit
Author(s) -
Kumar Mohi
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2012eo150003
Subject(s) - asteroid , astrobiology , solar system , jupiter (rocket family) , geology , astronomy , planetary science , mars exploration program , crust , spacecraft , physics , geophysics
Dawn, a NASA spacecraft launched in 2007 to study two large bodies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, arrived at its first target—the asteroid Vesta—in June 2011. Since then, it has orbited the asteroid at progressively lower altitudes, collecting detailed observations of Vesta's surface. Vesta is of particular interest because it is thought to be a remnant protoplanet—a small celestial body with a distinct core, mantle, and crust—formed early in the history of the solar system. Thus, by studying Vesta, “we will go back in time, right to the beginning of the solar system,” said Christopher Russell, a professor of geophysics and planetary physics at the University of California, Los Angeles and the principal investigator for the Dawn mission.