Releases : Science

Last week, NASA announced that it was reinstating the Dawn mission, a robotic exploration of two major asteroids, after canceling it in early March because of technical problems and cost overruns. The mission, named because it was designed to study objects dating from the dawn of the solar system, involves sending a probe to Vesta and Ceres, two of the largest asteroids orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Dawn will use an electric ion propulsion system and orbit multiple objects.

The director of the planetarium and astronomy lab at the University of North Texas says he is pleased that NASA is reinstating the funding for a July 2007 launch of mission to two large asteroids. The university has a meteorite from one of the asteroids.

"Most of the work has already been done for the project; the preparations were in place, and so was the systems and geology work," says Ron DiIulio. "The scientific community is glad to have this program back."

The Dawn project was originally budgeted to cost $373 million. NASA has agreed to spend an extra $73 million to complete the project.

DiIulio says he is excited about the potential of the Dawn project, noting that the mission will increase the knowledge of the universe.

"This mission will help us to understand these two asteroids. We know what makes up the surface of these asteroids, but the Dawn mission will let us learn about what makes up their cores," he says.

Scientists believe Ceres and Vesta were formed about 4.5 billion years ago in different parts of the solar system. They think the asteroids may have clues on the formation of the solar system.

The North Central Texas region's newest site for stargazing is rising up from roughly two acres of land west of the municipal airport in Denton. The University of North Texas' Rafes Urban Astronomy Center will house the lab portion of the university's astronomy program, which is the largest non-science major program of its kind in the nation.

Ron DiIulio, planetarium and astronomy lab director at UNT, and a NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador., says that when the center is finished, "there will not be a facility or program like it in Texas."

The land for the center was donated by Richard Rafes, vice president of administrative affairs at UNT. Previously, labs were conducted at an old Nike missile base site north of Denton, but light pollution from nearby new developments caused problems.

DiIulio says the program's existing Unitron telescope dome will be moved to the site, and it will be converted to a solar telescope. A second domed telescope, donated by a NASA scientist, will be installed later this spring. Two circular concrete foundations have been poured for both structures.

The center currently has one classroom building and three telescope "huts" where four people at a time will be able to view the sky. Plans are in the works to build a fourth telescope hut and an open-air amphitheater. DiIulio says the amphitheater could be used by businesses for meetings or parties.

"If we can get businesses to help us with this, the public can see what their money is paying for," DiIulio says. "Groups can rent out the property for star parties and the like, and there will be opportunities for corporate sponsorship."

With no parking facilities, the center will be served by a shuttle bus from the UNT campus. Future plans include the addition of a parking area and a Challenger Center to house astronomy displays.