Liftoff for Ceres and Vesta (July 2007)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the NASA "Dawn" mission, which aims to explore the asteroids Ceres and Vesta. Participants discuss the mission's details, including the ion propulsion technology, trajectory, and potential implications of the findings.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that Ceres has a diameter of about 1000 km and is covered with a thick layer of ice, suggesting the possibility of human habitation by tunneling under the ice.
  • Another participant inquires about the specifications of the ion engine, including fuel type and specific impulse.
  • A later reply provides a link to the Dawn mission's ion propulsion information.
  • One participant expresses confusion about the timeline, specifically the arrival date at Vesta, noting that the article mentions Ceres' arrival in February 2015 but lacks details on Vesta.
  • Another participant corrects this by stating that the probe is expected to reach Vesta in October 2011.
  • One participant speculates on the strategic importance of Ceres as a potential source of propellant in the inner solar system, suggesting that control over Ceres could influence space exploration.
  • Another participant expresses interest in simulating the mission trajectory and discusses the orbital dynamics of Ceres and Vesta, suggesting that their similar orbits facilitate travel between them.
  • One participant asks if a specific launch date in July has been announced yet.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit a mix of curiosity and confusion regarding the mission details, particularly the timeline for reaching Vesta. While some points are clarified, there remains uncertainty about specific launch dates and trajectory information.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions regarding the specifics of the ion propulsion system and the exact timeline of the mission, which depend on further announcements from NASA.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in space exploration, asteroid missions, propulsion technology, and orbital mechanics may find this discussion relevant.

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

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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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:
 
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.
 
You are blind! It said it would reach Vesta in October 2011.
 
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![/size]

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.
 
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.
 
Have they announced a specific date in July yet?
 

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