NASA's Dawn spacecraft have again ventured a look into the stars. The spacecraft powered up its visible infrared spectrometer, that investigates surface mineralogy, and the gamma ray and neutron detector, which detects elemental composition. Three of
Dawn's science instruments spent their time sleeping during a three-and-a half-year journey to Vesta. This was reported by Robert Mase on of Dawn project manager at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Dawn international scientists team and engineers in Germany and the United States spent three days interacting with the camera system, confirming excellent health of the electrical components and updating the software. Within the next few months Dawn camera will provide images needed to navigate the spacecraft and the images of the asteroid's surface. In addition the camera will search for the moons in Vesta's and for evidence of a past volcanic activity. This mission to
Vesta and Ceres will be managed by the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
1. What kind of moons do you think Dawn will find on the asteroid Vesta?
2. Why did scientists say that Dawn was on track to a unexplored worlds?
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2011, March 22). Dawn open its eyes, check
instruments. ScienceDaily.
