Sunday, July 17, 2011

Dawn Is In Orbit!!!!

Hey Space Placers!

Dawn is in orbit around Vesta! Dawn is the first spacecraft ever to enter orbit around an asteroid in the asteroid belt.

Artist's concept of Dawn


From NASA: "The spacecraft relayed information to confirm it entered Vesta's orbit, but the precise time this milestone occurred is unknown at this time. The time of Dawn's capture depended on Vesta's mass and gravity, which only has been estimated until now. The asteroid's mass determines the strength of its gravitational pull. If Vesta is more massive, its gravity is stronger, meaning it pulled Dawn into orbit sooner. If the asteroid is less massive, its gravity is weaker and it would have taken the spacecraft longer to achieve orbit. With Dawn now in orbit, the science team can take more accurate measurements of Vesta's gravity and gather more accurate timeline information."

Read More ABout Dawn http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/

Sky Guy in VA 

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