TECHNOLOGY
 | | | | ||
|
Science Payload
| |||||
| Framing Camera (FC) Scientific imaging system of the Dawn Mission to the two complementary protoplanets, 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta. Developed by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS)
- FC Interactive- FC Image Gallery - FC Lecture |
Visible & Infrared Spectrometer (VIR) Accomplishes the Dawn mission's scientific and measurement objectives of producing spectral images. Developed by the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF)
- VIR Interactive- VIR Image Gallery |
Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRaND) Measures elemental abundances on the surface of Vesta and Ceres. Developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
- GRaND Interactive- GRaND Image Gallery |
Gravity Science There is no dedicated instrumentation for gravity science on-board the spacecraft. The team utilizes the radio link used for communications and carefully observe the Doppler shift in the link's carrier frequency (when received at ground stations) due to gravitational forces acting on the spacecraft center-of-mass in the environment of Vesta and Ceres. - Gravity Mapping Activity |
||
Data Return:
- Images of Vesta and Ceres in three colors and black and white
- Full surface with mapping spectrometer in three bands, 0.35 to 0.9 micron, 0.8 to 2.5 micron and 2.4 to 5.0 micron
- Neutron and gamma ray spectra to produce maps of the surface elemental composition of each asteroid, including the abundance of major rock-forming elements (O, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Fe), trace elements (Gd and Sm), long-lived radioactive elements (K, Th, and U), and light elements such as H, C, and N, which are the major constituents of ices.
- Radio tracking to determine mass, gravity field, principal axes, rotational axis and moments of inertia.
