Dawn
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Artist's concept of Dawn spacecraft
Artist's concept of Dawn spacecraft as it approaches asteroid. Image Credit: NASA/JPL
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Full-Frame Image of Vesta
NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the giant asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on July 24, 2011. Dawn entered orbit around Vesta on July 15, and will spend a year orbiting the body.
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Latest Image of Vesta captured by Dawn on July 17, 2011
This is the first image obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft after successfully entering orbit around Vesta.
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False-Color Image of an Impact Crater on Vesta
NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this false-color image (right) of an impact crater in asteroid Vesta's equatorial region with its framing camera on July 25, 2011. The view on the left is from the camera's clear filter.
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An Enhanced View of Vesta's South Polar Region
This enhanced image, taken by the framing camera instrument aboard NASA's Dawn spacecraft on July 9, 2011, views the south polar region of this giant asteroid.
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South Polar Scarp
NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of asteroid Vesta's south polar scarp with its framing camera on August 12, 2011. The image was taken through the framing camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.
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Craters and Grooves
NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the surface of asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on August 11, 2011. It was taken through the camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.
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Close-up View of Vesta's South Pole Region
This image, obtained by the framing camera on NASA's Dawn spacecraft, a peak at Vesta's south pole is seen at the lower right. The grooves in the equatorial region are about six miles wide.
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Close-up View of 'Snowman' Craters
In this image, obtained by the framing camera on NASA's Dawn spacecraft, a set of three craters, informally nicknamed 'Snowman' by the camera's team members, is located in the northern hemisphere of Vesta.
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Dawn's Framing Camera Views Carina
This view in the southern constellation Carina was acquired on December 13, 2007 as part of the characterization tests of the Framing Camera. The cluster of stars in the center is NGC 3532, and the nebula in the lower right is the Eta Carina Nebula.
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Mission Summary
Having explored the giant asteroid Vesta and on its way to the dwarf planet Ceres, the Dawn spacecraft is designed to conduct an in-depth and up-close study of these two celestial bodies believed to have formed early in the history of the solar system.
During its mission, Dawn will characterize the early solar system and the processes that shaped its formation. Data returned from the Dawn spacecraft could provide opportunities for significant breakthroughs in our knowledge of how the solar system formed.
Mission Events
July 15, 2011 PDT (July 16, 2011 EDT): Dawn arrived at the giant asteroid Vesta to begin science investigations.
Sept. 4, 2012 PDT (Sept. 5, 2012 EDT): Dawn departed the giant asteroid Vesta.
Early 2015: Dawn arrives at the dwarf planet Ceres to being science investigations.
Scientific Instrument(s)
- Framing camera
- Gamma ray and neutron detector
- Visible and infrared mapping spectrometer
