{"id":10317,"date":"2015-04-08T01:31:36","date_gmt":"2015-04-08T05:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10317"},"modified":"2015-04-08T01:31:36","modified_gmt":"2015-04-08T05:31:36","slug":"dawn-orbits-ceres-new-images-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10317","title":{"rendered":"Dawn orbits Ceres – new images soon"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ll soon see closeups of the big asteroid, or dwarf planet, Ceres<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Dawn in Excellent Shape One Month After Ceres Arrival<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since its capture by the gravity of dwarf planet Ceres on March 6, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft<\/a> has performed flawlessly, continuing to thrust with its ion engine as planned. The thrust, combined with Ceres’ gravity, is gradually guiding the spacecraft into a circular orbit around the dwarf planet. All of the spacecraft’s systems and instruments are in excellent health.<\/p>\n

\"pia18922-16[1]\"<\/a>Artist’s concept of Dawn above Ceres around the time it was captured into orbit by the dwarf planet in early March. Since its arrival, the spacecraft turned around to point the blue glow of its ion engine in the opposite direction. Image credit: NASA\/JPL<\/em><\/p>\n

Dawn has been following its planned trajectory on the dark side of Ceres — the side facing away from the sun — since early March. After it entered orbit, the spacecraft’s momentum carried it to a higher altitude, reaching a maximum of 46,800 miles (75,400 kilometers) on March 18. Today, Dawn is about 26,000 miles (42,000 kilometers) above Ceres, descending toward the first planned science orbit, which will be 8,400 miles (13,500 kilometers) above the surface.<\/p>\n

The next optical navigation images of Ceres will be taken on April 10 and April 14, and are expected to be available online after initial analysis by the science team. In the first of these, the dwarf planet will appear as a thin crescent, much like the images taken on March 1, but with about 1.5 times higher resolution. The April 14 images will reveal a slightly larger crescent in even greater detail. Once Dawn settles into the first science orbit on April 23, the spacecraft will begin the intensive prime science campaign.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/videos\/dawn\/20141229\/Dawn_arriving_ceres.m4v<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

By early May, images will improve our view of the entire surface, including the mysterious bright spots that have captured the imaginations of scientists and space enthusiasts alike. What these reflections of sunlight represent is still unknown, but closer views should help determine their nature. The regions containing the bright spots will likely not be in view for the April 10 images; it is not yet certain whether they will be in view for the April 14 set.<\/p>\n

On May 9, Dawn will complete its first Ceres science phase and begin to spiral down to a lower orbit to observe Ceres from a closer vantage point.<\/p>\n

Dawn previously explored the giant asteroid Vesta for 14 months, from 2011 to 2012, capturing detailed images and data about that body.<\/p>\n

Dawn’s mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate’s Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK Inc., in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft.<\/p>\n

The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team. For a complete list of mission participants, visit: dawn.jpl.nasa.gov\/mission<\/a><\/p>\n

More details about Dawn’s trajectory are available at:\u00a0dawnblog.jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

More information about Dawn is online at:\u00a0dawn.jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’ll soon see closeups of the big asteroid, or dwarf planet, Ceres: Dawn in Excellent Shape One Month After Ceres Arrival Since its capture by the gravity of dwarf planet Ceres on March 6, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has performed flawlessly, continuing to thrust with its ion engine as planned. The thrust, combined with Ceres’ gravity, … Continue reading Dawn orbits Ceres – new images soon<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asteroids","category-space-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-2Gp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10072,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10072","url_meta":{"origin":10317,"position":0},"title":"Dawn spacecraft enters orbit around Ceres","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Today NASA's Dawn spacecraft went into orbit around Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt and now classified as a dwarf planet. Dawn completes historic arrival at Ceres -\u00a0NASASpaceFlight.com Dawn Spacecraft Captured Into Orbit Around Ceres, The Largest Object in the Main Asteroid Belt - Orbital ATK Here is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asteroids & Comets"","block_context":{"text":"Asteroids & Comets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=75"},"img":{"alt_text":"PIA19311_732[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/PIA19311_7321.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9572,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9572","url_meta":{"origin":10317,"position":1},"title":"Dawn probe moves closer to dwarf planet Ceres","author":"TopSpacer","date":"January 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA's\u00a0Dawn\u00a0is getting closer to Ceres, the largest asteroid and now classified as a dwarf planet. Ceres is particularly interesting because it has a thick layer\u00a0of water ice. Dawn Spacecraft Begins Approach to Dwarf Planet Ceres \u2022 Dawn has entered its approach phase toward Ceres \u2022 The spacecraft will arrive at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asteroids & Comets"","block_context":{"text":"Asteroids & Comets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=75"},"img":{"alt_text":"PIA17650-1280x800[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/PIA17650-1280x8001-1024x640.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10035,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10035","url_meta":{"origin":10317,"position":2},"title":"New images from Dawn spacecraft as it approaches the dwarf planet Ceres","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest news about NASA's Dawn spacecraft and its approach to Ceres: NASA Spacecraft Nears Historic Dwarf Planet Arrival \u00a0 Ceres rotates in this sped-up movie comprised of images taken by NASA's Dawn mission during its approach to the dwarf planet. The images were taken on Feb. 19, 2015, from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asteroids & Comets"","block_context":{"text":"Asteroids & Comets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=75"},"img":{"alt_text":"15-027-ceres-gif-650[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/15-027-ceres-gif-6501.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9770,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9770","url_meta":{"origin":10317,"position":3},"title":"Dawn returns best-ever images of dwarf planet Ceres","author":"TopSpacer","date":"January 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Dawn spacecraft moves closer to the dwarf planet Ceres in the asteroid belt (compare to a week ago). NASA's Dawn Spacecraft Captures Best-Ever View of Dwarf Planet January 27, 2015\u2014NASA's Dawn spacecraft has returned the sharpest images ever seen of the dwarf planet Ceres. The images were taken 147,000\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asteroids & Comets"","block_context":{"text":"Asteroids & Comets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=75"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ceres_OpNav2_Anim_v2[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ceres_OpNav2_Anim_v21.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10737,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10737","url_meta":{"origin":10317,"position":4},"title":"Dawn at Ceres: Latest photos of the ‘bright spots’ and other areas","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest\u00a0photos of Ceres from the Dawn spacecraft: The brightest spots on dwarf planet Ceres are seen in this image taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 6, 2015.\u00a0\u00a0Full image and caption Bright Spots Shine in Newest Dawn Ceres Images New images of dwarf planet Ceres, taken by NASA's Dawn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asteroids & Comets"","block_context":{"text":"Asteroids & Comets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=75"},"img":{"alt_text":"pia19568_main-1041[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pia19568_main-10411.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9686,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9686","url_meta":{"origin":10317,"position":5},"title":"Dawn nearing dwarf planet Ceres","author":"TopSpacer","date":"January 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA's Dawn spacecraft is closing in on Ceres,\u00a0the\u00a0largest object in the asteroid belt and now classified as a dwarf planet: \u00a0Dawn Delivers New Image of Ceres NASA's Dawn spacecraft closes in on Ceres, new images show the dwarf planet at 27 pixels across, about three times better than the calibration\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asteroids & Comets"","block_context":{"text":"Asteroids & Comets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=75"},"img":{"alt_text":"pia19168[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pia191681.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10317"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10319,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317\/revisions\/10319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}