The Dawn spacecraft has entered the approach phase of its journey to the dwarf planet Ceres.
The spacecraft is currently 640,000km from Ceres, and is closing in at a relative speed of 725 kph, around about the speed of a plane. The probe is expected to reach the dwarf planet on 6 March 2015.
The images it takes will exceed the resolution of the Hubble telescope from 26 January onwards. The spacecraft will then proceed to take photos of a resolution much higher than the Hubble as it gets ever closer.
This mission also marks another milestone. This will be the first time that a spacecraft has ever orbited two solar system targets, with Vesta being the previous target from 2011 to 2012.
"Orbiting both Vesta and Ceres would be truly impossible with conventional propulsion. Thanks to ion propulsion, we're about to make history as the first spaceship ever to orbit two unexplored alien worlds," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director.
The Dawn spacecraft will answer many questions. Some scientists believe that the small dwarf planet may have a large water reservoir under the surface. Debate surrounds whether this water is actually liquid and whether life could exist. Some hope that the mission discoveries could lead to a landing of a probe on Ceres on a future mission, perhaps even a rover. However, this is all dependent on what Dawn uncovers whilst in orbit around Ceres.
The spacecraft is currently 640,000km from Ceres, and is closing in at a relative speed of 725 kph, around about the speed of a plane. The probe is expected to reach the dwarf planet on 6 March 2015.
The images it takes will exceed the resolution of the Hubble telescope from 26 January onwards. The spacecraft will then proceed to take photos of a resolution much higher than the Hubble as it gets ever closer.
This mission also marks another milestone. This will be the first time that a spacecraft has ever orbited two solar system targets, with Vesta being the previous target from 2011 to 2012.
"Orbiting both Vesta and Ceres would be truly impossible with conventional propulsion. Thanks to ion propulsion, we're about to make history as the first spaceship ever to orbit two unexplored alien worlds," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director.
The Dawn spacecraft will answer many questions. Some scientists believe that the small dwarf planet may have a large water reservoir under the surface. Debate surrounds whether this water is actually liquid and whether life could exist. Some hope that the mission discoveries could lead to a landing of a probe on Ceres on a future mission, perhaps even a rover. However, this is all dependent on what Dawn uncovers whilst in orbit around Ceres.