DISCOVERY ::: MISSIONS ::: DAWN

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Discovery Missions
	NEAR	Mars Pathfinder	Lunar Prospector	Stardust
	Genesis	CONTOUR	MESSENGER	Deep Impact
	Kepler	DAWN	GRAIL

Discovery Missions of Opportunity
	ASPERA-3	M3	EPOXI	Stardust-NExT

DISCOVERY MISSION: DAWN

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The Dawn mission will undertake a journey in both space and time by traveling to the two oldest and most massive asteroids in our solar system, Vesta and Ceres. By observing both minor planets with the same set of instruments, Dawn will provide new answers to questions about the formation and evolution of the early solar system.

The Dawn spacecraft launched on Sept. 27, 2007. It is the first Discovery mission to be powered by ion propulsion, an advanced technology successfully demonstrated by NASA's Deep Space 1 mission. The use of solar electric ion thrusters will enable Dawn to carry enough fuel and adjust its velocity to orbit and study two asteroids in one mission, a feat that has not been attempted before.

Dawn will reach Vesta in 2011 and Ceres in 2014. These minor planets have remained intact since the earliest time of solar system formation. Their surfaces are believed to contain a snapshot of the conditions present in the solar system's first 10 million years, allowing Dawn to investigate both the origin of the solar system and its present state.

MISSION OBJECTIVES

Dawn mission trajectory
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The mission's science goals are to understand the conditions and processes in place at the beginning of solar system formation. Scientists also hope to gain a new understanding of the role of water in asteroid evolution.

Dawn's science instruments will:

measure the asteroids mass, shape, volume and spin state

record detailed elemental and mineral composition

determine tectonic and thermal history, magnetism and core size

examine the internal structure to compare these two very different bodies, one cool and wet, the other hot and dry

MISSION MANAGEMENT

The Dawn mission is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Christopher Russell of the University of California at Los Angeles. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, VA, will construct the spacecraft, and JPL will provide the ion engines.

For more complete information on the mission, visit the Dawn website.

NASA Safety Reporting System

Project Manager: Shari Asplund
Curator: Anthony Goodeill
NASA Official: Paul Gilbert