Liftoff for Ceres and Vesta (July 2007)

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In summary, Ceres is a large asteroid with a diameter of 1000 km and a thick layer of ice estimated to be 100 km deep. It is a potential location for human habitation with the use of artificial energy sources. The "Dawn" probe will use ion propulsion to maneuver and is set to launch in July. Its first destination is Vesta, where it will go into orbit and study the asteroid before using ion drive to move onto Ceres. The ion engine uses water or hydrogen as propellant and can easily lift off from Ceres due to its low orbit velocity. The mission is significant as whoever controls Ceres will have control over the inner solar system. There is also potential for future missions to the asteroid belt
  • #1
marcus
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Ceres is about 1000 km diameter and appears covered with a thick layer of ice, estimated on order of 100 km deep

which means I suppose that in a pinch (with an artificial source of energy) you could live there by tunneling under the ice

the "Dawn" probe will use ION PROPULSION to maneuver.

it will launch in July and go to Vesta
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/15jun_dawn.htm?list45222 [Broken]

and go into orbit around Vesta

after studying Vesta it will use ion drive to get out of orbit around Vesta and move on to Ceres.
 
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  • #2
Ooohhh... An Ion Engine... So, are there any stats out there on the engine? Such as, what fuel it uses, specific impulse and such?

And yes, I'm back after not posting for a long, long, long, long time... :biggrin:
 
  • #3
MadScientist 1000 said:
Ooohhh... An Ion Engine... So, are there any stats out there on the engine? Such as, what fuel it uses, specific impulse and such?

Here:
http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/ion_prop.asp
 
  • #4
Am I blind, or does that article not say when the probe is due to reach Vesta? It says it will arrive at Ceres in February, 2015, but nothing about when it arrives on Vesta.

Interesting stuff anyway, I hope the "asteroid hop" goes off without a hitch.
 
  • #5
You are blind! It said it would reach Vesta in October 2011.
 
  • #6
MadScientist 1000 said:
Ooohhh... An Ion Engine... So, are there any stats out there on the engine? Such as, what fuel it uses, specific impulse and such?...

By now I assume you have the stats you want.
Since you are a mad scientist you may want to consider the idea that
Ceres is the only large readily available supply of propellant (water, hydrogen) in the inner solar system----that is, this side of Jupiter---and therefore

Whoever controls Ceres controls the inner solar system. Nyahah-hah-hah-haaaaaah!

lift-off from Ceres is relatively easy since low Ceres orbit velocity is comparable to the speed of sound on earth---a few hundred mph.
 
  • #7
This is such a neat mission. I wish I could find more info on the trajectory. I want to simulate this in Gravity Simulator, but I need to know stuff like duration and direction of the thrust.

Ceres and Vesta are in very similar orbits. If they had a little more mass they would probably be in 1:1 resonant horseshoe orbits like Saturn's Janus and Epimetheus. That's why its easy to jump from one to the other with very limited thrust.

I think it would be neat to do another mission to the asteroid belt as well, using more traditional forms of thrust. Orbiting the Sun in the heart of the asteroid belt, a craft could potentially visit hundreds of asteroids on flyby trajectories, accumulating data about their mass by the bend in the trajectory. This would help us really understand the asteroid belt.
 
  • #8
Have they announced a specific date in July yet?
 

1. What is the purpose of the "Liftoff for Ceres and Vesta" mission?

The purpose of the mission is to study the two largest objects in the asteroid belt, Ceres and Vesta, in order to gain a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system.

2. What spacecraft was used for the "Liftoff for Ceres and Vesta" mission?

The spacecraft used for the mission was the Dawn spacecraft, which was launched in September 2007.

3. How long did it take for the spacecraft to reach Ceres and Vesta?

The spacecraft took about 4 years to reach Vesta and about 2 years to reach Ceres. It arrived at Vesta in July 2011 and at Ceres in March 2015.

4. What were some of the main findings from the "Liftoff for Ceres and Vesta" mission?

Some of the main findings include evidence of water and organic molecules on Ceres, evidence of a recent geological activity on Ceres, and the discovery of a bright spot on Ceres that is still being studied.

5. How did the "Liftoff for Ceres and Vesta" mission contribute to our understanding of the solar system?

The mission provided valuable data and images that have allowed scientists to better understand the formation and evolution of the solar system, as well as the composition and geology of Ceres and Vesta. It also opened up new avenues for future research and exploration of other bodies in the asteroid belt.

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