nasa’s dawn mission journey to the asteroid frontier

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NASA’s Dawn MissionJourney to the Asteroid Frontier

Lucy McFadden, Co-Investigator

Goddard Space Flight Center

July 8, 2011

PA3 MSP 3 Summer Workshop 2011

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DawnThe Dawn Mission

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Traveling Back In Time

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Dawn Explores the Earliest Epochs

Vesta and Ceres are intact survivors of the earliest epoch of planetary formation.

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CAIs

Chondrules

HED Differentiation Eucrites emplacement

Planetesimal DifferentiationAngrites

Pallasite

Mesosiderites

Mars

Earth

Planetary Accretion

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Beginning of the Solar System

Vesta formed and Differentiated

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• Vesta was linked to basaltic achondrite meteorites (HEDs) using reflectance spectra [1970, McCord].

– Vesta and the HEDs share the same (basaltic) mineralogy.

• From geochemical analyses of these meteorites, we can make inferences about geologic processes on Vesta.

– These include inferences about the presence of an iron core and ancient aqueous fluids.

Vesta

Meteorites

Vesta is the only asteroid directly identified as a meteorite parent body.

Fe2+ in PyroxeneMg Fe

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The Asteroid Belt

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Spacecraft

Dry mass: 745 kg

Wet mass: 1240 kg

Solar array power (1 AU): 10.3 kW

Solar array power (3 AU): 1.3 kW

Delta II 7925H-9.5

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Interplanetary Trajectory

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Ion Propulsion

Deep Space 1

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Hydrazine tank

45 kg capacity

Xenon tank

450 kg capacity

Folded solar arraysIon thruster

2.3 meters

Ion Propulsion System

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Mapping Global Topographic Maps

Framing Camera techniques have been proven on many previous missions. The camera’s most recent

heritage comes from Venus Express.

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Map the Elemental Composition

Gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) techniques have been proven on Lunar Prospector. GRaND’s

most recent heritage is from Mars Odyssey

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Map the Mineralogical Composition

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DawnExploring New Worlds

Vesta

Dawn’s Itinerary

The Dawn Spacecraft will travel

• 6.3 billion kilometers (almost 4 billion miles)

• In almost ten years

• To the asteroids, 4 Vesta and 1 Ceres.

Ceres

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DawnMap the Gravity Field

Vesta Gravity from Shape Model

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Partners

– University of California, Los Angeles• Scientific Leadership

– JPL – Jet Propulsion Laboratory• Management and Navigation

– Orbital Sciences Corporation• Spacecraft design and build

– Los Alamos National Laboratory• GRAND instrument

– DLR – German Aerospace Center• Framing Camera

– Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research• Framing Camera

– ASI – Italian Space Agency• VIR

– New Roads School, University of Maryland, and McREL• Education and Public Outreach

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Learn More!

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov

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Unlocking the Mysteries

Science on the Edge of Our Solar System