DAWN mission to orbit 1 Ceres & 4 Vesta.

[PistolPete]

The only thing that might truly shock many of the posters here is if you put in a resume at SpaceX! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />That might be enough give some people here an aneurysm! <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[cbased]

That sounds deliciously intriguing <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br />But it is surprising in a good way, right?<br /><br />I don't know about you all guys, but I feel emotionally uplifted when missions like Dawn successfully launch.We are moving so slow in our space exploration (Moon by 202x, Mars 2037?) so every successful step in this direction is SO valuable.<br /><br />Go Dawn!!!

 

[thereiwas]

Am I correct that the spinning of the 3rd stage is to help hold it in proper attitude while the engine fires, without having to use active thrusters?

 

[MeteorWayne]

That is correct.<br />The whole craft/3rd stage assembly becomes it's own gyroscope. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[holmec]

Wow! This launch is a long time coming. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>

 

[mithridates]

Me too, especially when it's a completely new area of the Solar System. Even though it's important to keep sending new probes to places like Mars and Venus from a scientific and exploratory standpoint, with the exception of the rovers the reaction from the public has been pretty much nonexistent. Probes to other objects in the asteroid belt have admittedly explored completely new areas, but as they're so small, once again the public isn't all that interested. Ceres and Vesta, on the other hand, are small world unto themselves and Ceres might even make a good location for human settlement.<br /><br />I'm still curious though about what improved Earth-based observations we're going to have before Dawn arrives. We still have three years to Vesta and seven years to Ceres. What new facts are we going to discover about them while Dawn is still on its way? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>----- </p><p>http://mithridates.blogspot.com</p> </div>

 

[3488]

Great launch photos on Spaceflightnow.com Chris Miller.<br /><br />The larger members of the Asteroid Belt are definately new territory. True we have<br />decent data & images already of asteroids 243 Ida, 253 Mathilde & 951 Gaspra<br />courtesy of the Galileo & NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, but these were just fleeting encounters.<br /><br />Had the Galileo Spacecraft launched in May 1986, we would have a close encounter with <br />the large main belt asteroid 29 Amphitrite, but as we all know, something dreadful happened <br />that January, that grounded the Shuttle fleet for a lengthy period, before flights resumed.<br /><br />DAWN will orbit both 4 Vesta & 1 Ceres, (the largest & third largest members of the <br />Asteroid Belt), two very different critters. Basaltic 4 Vesta, perhaps an embryonic <br />terrestrial planet & 1 Ceres an embryonic ice / rock world. Jupiter scuppered there growth by making<br />that part of our solar system <br />unstable, preventing the growth of a single larger planet.<br /><br />Jupiter may also had stunted the growth of Mars.<br /><br />Who knows, if DAWN is still working well at primary mission end, we might get to see 2 Pallas<br />up close too.<br /><br />I wonder too mithridates. With DAWN successfully on her way, than improved observations of <br />1 Ceres & 4 Vesta would be prudent. The more we learn before hand, would mean that DAWN <br />could be utilised more effectively upon arrival. Also I would hope that 2 Pallas also will be <br />observed by HST, Keck AO, etc, as then we could get a good database of the three largest <br />members of the Asteroid Belt.<br /><br />This has been a very good day indeed. The fact that the DSN have received a good signal from <br />DAWN, I assue the solar arrays have opened properly, etc???<br /><br />I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone today on this thread, for posting the events<br />today. I was <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[bpcooper]

Here are some I took this morning. Gorgeous launch, prettiest of the year:<br /><br />http://www.launchphotography.com/Dawn.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-Ben</p> </div>

 

[3488]

Thank you very much Ben for your superb photos.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[h2ouniverse]

Hi all,<br /><br />This successful launch is great news for space exploration. Congratulations to colleagues across the ocean.<br />Can't wait for 2015.<br /><br />Up to Dawn!

 

[rocketwatcher2001]

<font color="yellow">prettiest of the year:</font> <br /><br />Yes, it was nice. I took my kids to see it before dropping them off for school. My 2 year old kept saying Space Shuttle, Space Shuttle and was really excited. It is a nice way to start the day. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[h2ouniverse]

Mithridates,<br /><br />I agree.<br />There is a saying there on this continental tip "De la confusion des mots naît la confusion des idées" (confusion of words results in confusion of ideas).<br />Interesting how Ceres, by being downgraded from planet to asteroid, has been disregarded for so long. And by being upgraded to dwarf planet, regains the place it deserves: a metabolizing body worth of interest and full of promises.<br />By calling a dwarf planet a dwarf planet, some scientists now pay attention to features that should have raised their interest earlier. Finally, I find the change of appellation more and more useful. A fortiori for the public...<br /><br />That's life.<br />At last they are serious about Ceres. (sorry for this pathetic pun)<br /><br />

 

[3488]

NASA / JPL DAWN Update.<br /><br />DAWN's Solar Panels have opened without incident & generating plentiful power. DAWN<br />has also achieved correct orientation.<br /><br />This is really great news.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

I really enjoyed the coverage of the PAO (?) commentator guy giving us the play-by-play from his line of computers, wherever that happened to be. It was interesting to see him pull it all together for those of us watching by walking (and faster!) up and down the row, changing displays on the fly with a tap at the keyboards. Had you not seen it, you might think he was sitting comfortably at a desk with just one monitor providing him with the essential parameters.<br /><br />I also found it interesting to note what looked like temporary structural beam supports set up in the background to help hold up the roof!<br /><br />Anyway, sounds like a pretty flawless departure from Planet Earth. Congratulations to anyone involved who might stop by here, and let's all hope the rest of the mission can be carried off with a similar level of smooth professionalism.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

That brings up a point I wanted to ask. Who was that person pacing back and forth amnong the diplays in the slightly pinkish shirt?<br /><br />Was he the one giving the commentary?<br /><br />It's quite a bit of fun to watch, especially compared with a shuttle launch.<br /><br />Not as cheesy as a JAXA launch which is REALLY low tech <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Whoever did the commentary has our appreciation.<br /><br />Wayne<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

I don't recall the shirt colour (it was late here), but I think we're talking about the same guy. As I watched there was something of the circus 'spinning-plates-on-sticks' about his performance. He had plenty to take in from multiple monitors, all the while dashing up and down the row and operating the microphone.<br /><br />The room itself didn't appear to be a mission control room as such, but more of an intermediary room where all the raw data was coming down.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[brellis]

He was like a cross between John Madden and Wolf Blitzer, but smart. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <br /><br />Edit: okay - smart-<b>er</b>. I don't want to take anything away from John Madden <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[jimfromnsf]

That was Marc Lavigne of ULA, who is a telemetry engineer for ULA. He was in the Telemetry Lab which is in NASA's Hangar AE and collocated with the Mission Director Center and the Launch Vehicle Data Center. The MDC is where the NASA launch Manager is located. Hangar AE was built in 1960 and is a butler type construction. The beams are not temporary

 

[MeteorWayne]

Thanx. Was he giving the commentary as well? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[jimfromnsf]

He was giving the commentary

 

[alokmohan]

Nasa, the US space agency, is planning to launch an unmanned spacecraft today to investigate two bodies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that scientists believe could provide vital clues about the formation of planets, including the possible presence of water and even very basic forms of life.<br /><br />The spacecraft, Dawn, will take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida – weather permitting – in the hope of reaching the bodies, called Ceres and Vesta, some time in 2011. It will stay with them for a further 16 months. The mission is expected to last eight years in all, with Dawn covering a distance of three billion miles.<br /><br />Scientists believe the two bodies – in their different ways – are small proto-planets whose growth was stunted because of the gravitational pull of Jupiter, the largest of the planets in our solar system.<br /><br />Dawn will take photographs and measure chemical, mineral and other data. "We're going to be visiting some of the last unexplored worlds in the inner solar system," Marc Rayman, the project's chief engineer told the Associated Press.<br /><br />What we know so far is that neither body is an asteroid, despite being in the asteroid belt. Vesta, seen from earth, looks bone-dry, its surface apparently covered in volcanic basalts.<br /><br />What makes it interesting, above all, is a big dent near its south pole, forming a crater measuring almost 300 miles across. One of Dawn's missions will be to establish whether Vesta could be a source of the meteorites found on earth.<br /><br />Ceres, by contrast, is believed to be composed of as much as 25 per cent water. Spectroscopic studies have suggested that its surface is covered with clays, carbonates and other minerals that require water to form. The combination of materials that scientists believe Dawn will find there – water, organic compounds and salts – suggest it might be a good environment for the development of very basic life forms.<br /><br />Neither Ceres nor Vesta

 

[docm]

Don't know if anyone has summarized the ion drives yet, so....<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>"Dawn will be history's first mission to go out into the solar system, orbit and explore a distant body, and then go on to a totally different celestial body and explore that one," said Dawn project manager Keyur Patel of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "To do all that you need a spacecraft with a lot under the hood."<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/news/dawn-20070913f.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jimfromnsf]

"I really enjoyed the coverage of the PAO (?) commentator guy giving us the play-by-play from his line of computers, wherever that happened to be. It was interesting to see him pull it all together for those of us watching by walking (and faster!) up and down the row, changing displays on the fly with a tap at the keyboards"<br /><br /><br />Those displays were paper strip charts until a few months ago

 

[bobblebob]

Just watched the replay of the launch as i was out yesterday. i love watching the Delta II jettison its rockets, amazing sight <br /><br />I did notice around 55 seconds of the launch vid, there appears to be a static white object in the sky that Dawn passes, any idea what it was?

 

[jimfromnsf]

Venus