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The Challenges of Getting to
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Engineers and scientists exp
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10/19/07
August 2006: View of the Pla
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| Description |
August 2006: View of the Planets |
| Full Description |
Just before the eastern sky brightens with sunrise, three planets and the waning crescent moon join the starry twilight tapestry. Then, as the bright stars of Gemini and Orion fade with oncoming dawn, the planets rise and shine. About 45 minutes before sunrise on Aug. 20 to 22 the planets Venus, Mercury and Saturn dance on the ecliptic -- the plane of Earth's orbit and the imaginary line tracing it in the sky. The sun, moon and planets appear to move along this line. Venus, rising an hour and a half before sunrise, is the easiest to see in the morning sky. Two hundred forty-one million kilometers (150 million miles) distant, Venus is Earth-sized. Mercury, at a distance of 183 million kilometers (114 million miles), is the fastest and smallest of the inner planets and appears brighter than the more distant Saturn. Saturn, 1,517 million kilometers (943 million miles) distant, was at conjunction with the sun just two weeks ago and now rises nearly an hour before sunrise. On Aug. 26 and 27, Saturn pairs with much brighter Venus at dawn. What other planets can we see in late August? Mars sets 45 minutes after sunset by month's end but is lost from view in the twilight, while brilliant Jupiter remains prominent as the only planet visible for a few hours during the late August evenings. Credit: NASA/JPL |
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August 18, 2006 |
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Hubble Images of Asteroids H
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| Title |
Hubble Images of Asteroids Help Astronomers Prepare for Spacecraft Visit |
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Dr. Charles Elachi Congratul
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| title |
Dr. Charles Elachi Congratulates the MRO Team |
| Description |
JPL Director, Dr. Charles Elachi smiles for the camera as he makes the rounds in the Mission Support Area (MSA) at Jet Propulsion Laboratory during MRO's successful launch at dawn Pacific Time on August 12, 2005. Credit: NASA/JPL |
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Gator Wakes for Launch
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Gator Wakes for Launch |
| Description |
An alligator roams the Banana River at dawn on August 11, 2005, about an hour before that day's launch opportunities for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission were to begin. The launch was later scrubbed for that day but launched successfully on August 12, 2005. Credit: NASA/JPL |
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Ruth Fragoso and Glen Havens
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Ruth Fragoso and Glen Havens Celebrate Success at JPL |
| Description |
Ruth Fragoso, Launch Operations Engineer, and Glen Havens, Mission Operations Systems Engineer (MOSE), glance from their streaming spacecraft data to appreciate the sweet success of MRO's initial phase of launch before dawn Pacific Time on August 12, 2005. Credit: NASA/JPL |
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Last Stop: Launch Pad
| title |
Last Stop: Launch Pad |
| Description |
JPL launch vehicle manager Arden Acord gives the "thumbs up" as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reaches its final Earth-bound destination - Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, July 28th, the spacecraft was transported inside its Atlas four-meter (13-foot) fairing to the Atlas Vertical Integration Facility at the launch pad. In the background is Atlas V-401, tail number AV-007 stacked in the facility awaiting hoisting of the fairing and orbiter on top. At the present time, the spacecraft is mechanically mated to the Centaur upper stage and electrical connections are underway. Credit: NASA |
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Browse Image (annotated) | Large annotated (132 kB) Browse Image | Large (180 kB) |
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Mars Science Laboratory Pres
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nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr
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Dawn Sumner, geologist, Univ
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5964839662_1de35676cd_b
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2011-07-22 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
5964839662_1de35676cd_b |
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Mars Science Laboratory Pres
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nasa, nasaheadquartersflickr
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Michael Watkins (third from
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5964838992_da607400dd_b
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2011-07-22 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
5964838992_da607400dd_b |
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South Melea Planum, By The D
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PIA02021
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
South Melea Planum, By The Dawn's Early Light |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
MOC "sees" by the dawn's early light! This picture was taken over the high southern polar latitudes during the first week of May 1999. The area shown is currently in southern winter darkness. Because sunlight is scattered over the horizon by aerosols--dust and ice particles--suspended in the atmosphere, sufficient light reaches regions within a few degrees of the terminator (the line dividing night and day) to be visible to the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when the maximum exposure settings are used. This image shows a bright, wispy cloud hanging over southern Malea Planum. This cloud would not normally be visible, since it is currently in darkness. At the time this picture was taken, the sun was more than 5.7° below the northern horizon. The scene covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide. Again, the illumination is from the top. In this frame, the surface appears a relatively uniform gray. At the time the picture was acquired, the surface was covered with south polar wintertime frost. The highly reflective frost, in fact, may have contributed to the increased visibility of this surface. This "twilight imaging" technique for viewing Mars can only work near the terminator, thus in early May only regions between about 67°S and 74°S were visible in twilight images in the southern hemisphere, and a similar narrow latitude range could be imaged in the northern hemisphere. MOC cannot "see" in the total darkness of full-borne night. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
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South Melea Planum, By The D
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PIA02020
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
South Melea Planum, By The Dawn's Early Light |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
MOC "sees" by the dawn's early light! This picture was taken over the high southern polar latitudes during the first week of May 1999. The area shown is currently in southern winter darkness. Because sunlight is scattered over the horizon by aerosols--dust and ice particles--suspended in the atmosphere, sufficient light reaches regions within a few degrees of the terminator (the line dividing night and day) to be visible to the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when the maximum exposure settings are used. This picture shows a polygonally-patterned surface on southern Malea Planum. At the time the picture was taken, the sun was more than 4.5° below the northern horizon. The scene covers an area 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide, with the illumination from the top of the picture. In this frame, the surface appears a relatively uniform gray. At the time the picture was acquired, the surface was covered with south polar wintertime frost. The highly reflective frost, in fact, may have contributed to the increased visibility of this surface. This "twilight imaging" technique for viewing Mars can only work near the terminator, thus in early May only regions between about 67°S and 74°S were visible in twilight images in the southern hemisphere, and a similar narrow latitude range could be imaged in the northern hemisphere. MOC cannot "see" in the total darkness of full-borne night. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. |
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Temperature Behavior of Poss
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PIA09930
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
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| Title |
Temperature Behavior of Possible Cave Skylight on Mars |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1 Each of the three images in this set covers the same patch of Martian ground, centered on a possible cave skylight informally called "Annie," which has a diameter about double the length of a football field. The Thermal Emission Imaging System camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter took all three, gathering information that the hole is cooler than surrounding surface in the afternoon and warmer than the surrounding surface at night. This is thermal behavior that would be expected from an opening into an underground space. The left image was taken in visible-wavelength light (figure 1). The other two were taken in thermal infrared wavelengths, indicating the relative temperatures of features in the image. The center image is from mid-afternoon. The hole is warmer than the shadows of nearby pits to the north and south, while cooler than sunlit surfaces. The thermal image at right was taken in the pre-dawn morning, about 4 a.m. local time. At that hour, the hole is warmer than all nearby surfaces. Annie and six other features with similar thermal behavior are on the northern slope of a high Martian volcano named Arsia Mons, which is at 9 degrees south latitude, 239 degrees east longitude. Mars Odyssey is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The orbiter's Thermal Emission Imaging System was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, Santa Barbara, Calif., and is operated by Arizona State University. |
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Temperature Behavior of Poss
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PIA09930
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
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| Title |
Temperature Behavior of Possible Cave Skylight on Mars |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1 Each of the three images in this set covers the same patch of Martian ground, centered on a possible cave skylight informally called "Annie," which has a diameter about double the length of a football field. The Thermal Emission Imaging System camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter took all three, gathering information that the hole is cooler than surrounding surface in the afternoon and warmer than the surrounding surface at night. This is thermal behavior that would be expected from an opening into an underground space. The left image was taken in visible-wavelength light (figure 1). The other two were taken in thermal infrared wavelengths, indicating the relative temperatures of features in the image. The center image is from mid-afternoon. The hole is warmer than the shadows of nearby pits to the north and south, while cooler than sunlit surfaces. The thermal image at right was taken in the pre-dawn morning, about 4 a.m. local time. At that hour, the hole is warmer than all nearby surfaces. Annie and six other features with similar thermal behavior are on the northern slope of a high Martian volcano named Arsia Mons, which is at 9 degrees south latitude, 239 degrees east longitude. Mars Odyssey is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The orbiter's Thermal Emission Imaging System was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, Santa Barbara, Calif., and is operated by Arizona State University. |
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Pre-Dawn Martian Sky
PIA00918
Sol (our sun)
Imager for Mars Pathfinder
| Title |
Pre-Dawn Martian Sky |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
On Sol 39 there were wispy blue clouds in the pre-dawn sky of Mars, as seen by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP). The color image was made by taking blue, green, and red images and then combining them into a single color image. The clouds appear to have a bluish side and a greenish side because they moved (in the wind from the northeast) between images. This picture was made an hour and twenty minutes before sunrise -- the sun is not shining directly on the water ice clouds, but they are illuminated by the dawn twilight. Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. |
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Pre-Dawn Clouds Over Mars
PIA00919
Sol (our sun)
Imager for Mars Pathfinder
| Title |
Pre-Dawn Clouds Over Mars |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These are more wispy blue clouds from Sol 39 as seen by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder. The bright clouds near the bottom are about 30 degrees above the horizon. The clouds are believed to be at an altitude of 10 to 15 km, and are thought to be made of small water ice particles. The picture was taken about 35 minutes before sunrise. Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. |
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It's a Bird, It's a Plane, I
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PIA05557
Navigation Camera, Panoramic
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| Title |
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a... Spacecraft? |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Observing the sky with the green filter of it panoramic camera, the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit came across a surprise: a streak across the sky. The streak, seen in the middle of this mosaic of images taken by the navigation and panoramic cameras, was probably the brightest object in the sky at the time. Scientists theorize that the mystery line could be either a meteorite or one of seven out-of-commission spacecraft still orbiting Mars. Because the object appeared to move 4 degrees of an arc in 15 seconds it is probably not the Russian probes Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 5, or Phobos 2, or the American probes Mariner 9 or Viking 1. That leaves Viking 2, which has a polar orbit that would fit with the north-south orientation of the streak. In addition, only Viking 1 and 2 were left in orbits that could produce motion as fast as that seen by Spirit. Said Mark Lemmon, a rover team member from Texas A&M University, Texas, "Is this the first image of a meteor on Mars, or an image of a spacecraft sent from another world during the dawn of our robotic space exploration program? We may never know, but we are still looking for clues". The inset shows only the panoramic image of the streak. |
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MGS MOC Coverage of Mars Pol
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PIA02310
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
MGS MOC Coverage of Mars Polar Lander Region |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
. The selection criteria were to find a place that was relatively flat and relatively smooth, but which displayed characteristics of the south polar layered materials. The inset (upper left) shows the location of the landing zone with respect to the south polar residual (year-round) ice cap. The base map used here is a mosaic of Viking Orbiter images from the U.S. Geological Survey. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO., High-resolution views of the Mars Polar Lander [ http://www.marspolarlander.com/ ] landing zone were essential to the selection of a safe place for the December 3, 1999, landing to occur. The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) took its first pictures of the landing zone in December 1997 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/3_9_98_release/7200/index.html ] and January 1998 [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/3_9_98_release/9500/index.html ]. After that time, the south polar region was not accessible to the camera until June 1999, when the south polar winter was ending and the sun began to dawn on this region once again. Since the beginning of June 1999, an intense period of imaging has been conducted over the landing zone so that a safe site could be found. The final site has now been identified, and the pictures shown here give some idea of what the Mars Polar Lander will encounter a little more than three months from now. This figure shows the zone originally proposed by the Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor (MVACS) [ http://mvacs.ess.ucla.edu/ ] science team for the Mars Polar Lander mission, which spanned the region from 72° to 78°S latitude and 170° to 230°W longitude. The thin white boxes and lines crossing the proposed zone outline MOC images taken between the first week in June 1999 and the first week in August 1999. The longest images were taken at 12 by 18 meters (39 by 59 feet) per pixel, there are three sets of long images, each taken during a given week in June as the terminator (the line separating "night" from "day") moved south across the landing zone. Smaller swaths represent images at higher resolution. The best resolution so far achieved is about 4 meters (13 ft) per pixel, better images will be taken in September and October as the sun rises farther and the surface becomes better illuminated. This figure shows the location of the primary (blue) and secondary (white) landing ellipses, which were selected on the basis of interpretation of the MGS data, in particular data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/98lander.html ] and the Mars Orbiter Camera [ http://www.msss.com/mars_images/index.html ] |
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01 January 2000 On The Red P
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PIA02350
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
01 January 2000 On The Red Planet |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
As many people on Earth celebrated the dawn of a new year, a new century, and a new millennium, the Mars Global Surveyor(MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) continued its journey that began with a proposal to NASA nearly 15 years earlier in 1985. As the clock rolled over to 2000 A.D., MOC was busily snapping its daily global weather maps and a variety of higher-resolution images such as the two shown here. On December 25, 1999, Mars passed its northern hemisphere winter solstice, marking the beginning of northern winter (and summer in the southern hemisphere). The pictures shown here are from the northern hemisphere among the mesas and buttes of the Nilosyrtis Mensae. This region, if it were on Earth, would be located in western Afghanistan around 33° N latitude, 63° E longitude (297°W on Mars). The picture was one of the first high resolution views of Mars taken by the MGS MOC on January 1, 2000, at 06:42 UTC (6 hours, 42 minutes after the new year began in the Greenwich Time Zone). The picture on the left is a context frame that covers an area 115 km (71 mi) across. The white box shows the location of the new millennium Mars image, which also appears on the right. This high resolution view shows a wide variety of surface textures caused mainly by unknown, possibly uniquely "martian" geologic processes. The view also includes small, bright, windblown drifts. The high resolution view covers an area 3 km across at a resolution of 4.5 meters (15 feet) per pixel. The sun illuminates both scenes from the lower left. The MGS MOC began taking pictures from Mars orbit in September 1997. It's primary mission will last through January 2001. After that, an extended mission might be approved by NASA--this would allow the camera to continue its activities well into 2002 or beyond. |
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01 January 2000 On The Red P
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PIA02350
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
01 January 2000 On The Red Planet |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
As many people on Earth celebrated the dawn of a new year, a new century, and a new millennium, the Mars Global Surveyor(MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) continued its journey that began with a proposal to NASA nearly 15 years earlier in 1985. As the clock rolled over to 2000 A.D., MOC was busily snapping its daily global weather maps and a variety of higher-resolution images such as the two shown here. On December 25, 1999, Mars passed its northern hemisphere winter solstice, marking the beginning of northern winter (and summer in the southern hemisphere). The pictures shown here are from the northern hemisphere among the mesas and buttes of the Nilosyrtis Mensae. This region, if it were on Earth, would be located in western Afghanistan around 33° N latitude, 63° E longitude (297°W on Mars). The picture was one of the first high resolution views of Mars taken by the MGS MOC on January 1, 2000, at 06:42 UTC (6 hours, 42 minutes after the new year began in the Greenwich Time Zone). The picture on the left is a context frame that covers an area 115 km (71 mi) across. The white box shows the location of the new millennium Mars image, which also appears on the right. This high resolution view shows a wide variety of surface textures caused mainly by unknown, possibly uniquely "martian" geologic processes. The view also includes small, bright, windblown drifts. The high resolution view covers an area 3 km across at a resolution of 4.5 meters (15 feet) per pixel. The sun illuminates both scenes from the lower left. The MGS MOC began taking pictures from Mars orbit in September 1997. It's primary mission will last through January 2001. After that, an extended mission might be approved by NASA--this would allow the camera to continue its activities well into 2002 or beyond. |
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Martian Sunrise at Utopia Pl
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PIA00576
Sol (our sun)
Camera 2
| Title |
Martian Sunrise at Utopia Planitia |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A Martian sunrise was captured in this Viking 2 Lander picture taken June 14, 1978, at the spacecraft's Utopia Planitia landing site. The data composing this image were acquired just as the Sun peaked over the horizon on the Lander's 631st sol (Martian solar day). Pictures taken at dawn (or dusk) are quite dark except where the sky is brightened above the Sun's position. The glow in the sky results as light from the Sun is scattered and preferentially absorbed by tiny particles of dust and ice in the atmosphere. When the Viking cameras are calibrated for darker scenes, the "sky glow" tends to saturate their sensitivity and produce the bright regions seen here. The "banding" and color separation effects are also artifacts, rather than real features, and are introduced because the cameras are not able to record continuous gradations of light. The cameras must represent such gradations in steps (bands) of brightness and color, and the process sometimes produces some "false" colors within the bands. The scattering of light closest to the Sun's position tends to enhance blue wavelengths. The narrowing sky glow nearer the horizon above the Sun's position occurs as a result of light extinction. At that elevation, the optical path of sunlight through the atmosphere is at its longest penetration angle, and a substantial portion of the light is simply prevented from reaching the cameras by the dust, ice particles and other material in its way. NASA's Langley Research Center was the primary and extended mission manager, JPL assumed management for continued mission operations. |
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Dunes in Twilight
PIA05242
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Dunes in Twilight |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
17 January 2004 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows frost-covered north polar dunes in early January 2004. When this picture was taken, the dunes were in twilight, just before the late winter dawn that would come a few days later. These dunes spent many of the last several months in complete darkness. In this image, they are illuminated only by sunlight that has been scattered over the horizon by the martian atmosphere. These dunes are located near 77.0°N, 246.2°W. The image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and has been expanded by 200% from its original 12 meters (39 ft.) per pixel scale. While the sun had not yet risen when the image was obtained, illumination is mostly from the lower left. |
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Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol
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PIA03613
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol 643 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
, and Selsis et al. (2005) Nature, vol 435, p. 581). On Earth, some meteors come in "storms" or "showers" at predictable times of the year, like the famous Perseid meteor shower in August or the Leonid meteor shower in November. These "storms" happen when Earth passes through the same parts of space where comets sometimes pass. The meteors we see at these times are from leftover debris that was shed off of these comets. The same kind of thing is predicted for Mars, as well. Inspired by calculations about Martian meteor storms by meteor scientists from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and the Centre de Recherche en Astrophysique de Lyon in France, and also aided by other meteor research colleagues from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, scientists on the rover team planned some observations to try to detect predicted meteor storms in October and November, 2005. The views shown here are a composite of nine 60-second exposures taken with the panoramic camera on Spirit during night hours of sol 643 (Oct. 25, 2005), during a week when Mars was predicted to pass through a meteor stream associated with comet P/2001R1 LONEOS. Many stars can be seen in the images, appearing as curved "dash-dot" streaks. The star trails are curved because Mars is rotating while the camera takes the images. The dash-dot pattern is an artifact of taking an image for 60 seconds, then pausing about 10 seconds while the image is processed and stored by the rover's computer, then taking another image for 60 seconds, etc., for a total of about 10 minutes worth of "staring" at the night sky. Many stars from the southern constellations Octans and Pavonis can be seen in the images. The brightest ones in this view would be easily visible to the naked eye, but the faintest ones are slightly dimmer than the human eye can detect. In addition to the star trails, there are several smaller linear streaks, dots and splotches that are the trails left by cosmic rays hitting the camera detectors. Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that are created in the Sun and in other stars throughout our galaxy and travel through space in all directions. Some of them strike Earth or other planets, and ones that strike a digital camera detector can leave little tracks or splotches like those seen in these images. Because they come from all directions, some strike the detector face-on, and others strike at glancing angles. Some even skip across the detector like flat rocks skipped across a pond. These are very common phenomena to astronomers used to working with sensitive digital cameras like those in the Mars rovers, the Hubble Space Telescope, or other space probes, and while they can be a nuisance when taking pictures, they generally do not cause any lasting damage to the cameras. One streak in the image, crossing at an angle very different from the direction of the stars'"motion," might be a meteor trail or could be the mark of another cosmic ray. While hunting for meteors on Mars, Annotated Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol 643 The panoramic cameras on NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers are about as sensitive as the human eye at night. The cameras can see the same bright stars that we can see from Earth, and the same patterns of constellations dot the night sky. Scientists on the rover team have been taking images of some of these bright stars as part of several different projects. One project is designed to try to capture "shooting stars," or meteors, in the Martian night sky. "Meteoroids" are small pieces of comets and asteroids that travel through space and eventually run into a planet. On Earth, we can sometimes see meteoroids become brilliant, long "meteors" streaking across the night sky as they burn up from the friction in our atmosphere. Some of these meteors survive their fiery flight and land on the surface (or in the ocean) where, if found, they are called "meteorites." The same thing happens in the Martian atmosphere, and Spirit even accidentally discovered a meteor while attempting to obtain images of Earth in the pre-dawn sky back in March, 2004 (see http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040311a.html [ http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040311a.html ], is fun, ultimately the team wants to use the images and results for scientific purposes. These include helping to validate the models and predictions for interplanetary meteor storms, providing information on the rate of impacts of small meteoroids with Mars for comparison with rates for the Earth and Moon, assessing the rate and intensity of cosmic ray impact events in the Martian environment, and looking at whether some bright stars are being dimmed occasionally by water ice or dust clouds occurring at night during different Martian seasons. |
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Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol
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PIA03613
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol 643 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
, and Selsis et al. (2005) Nature, vol 435, p. 581). On Earth, some meteors come in "storms" or "showers" at predictable times of the year, like the famous Perseid meteor shower in August or the Leonid meteor shower in November. These "storms" happen when Earth passes through the same parts of space where comets sometimes pass. The meteors we see at these times are from leftover debris that was shed off of these comets. The same kind of thing is predicted for Mars, as well. Inspired by calculations about Martian meteor storms by meteor scientists from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and the Centre de Recherche en Astrophysique de Lyon in France, and also aided by other meteor research colleagues from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, scientists on the rover team planned some observations to try to detect predicted meteor storms in October and November, 2005. The views shown here are a composite of nine 60-second exposures taken with the panoramic camera on Spirit during night hours of sol 643 (Oct. 25, 2005), during a week when Mars was predicted to pass through a meteor stream associated with comet P/2001R1 LONEOS. Many stars can be seen in the images, appearing as curved "dash-dot" streaks. The star trails are curved because Mars is rotating while the camera takes the images. The dash-dot pattern is an artifact of taking an image for 60 seconds, then pausing about 10 seconds while the image is processed and stored by the rover's computer, then taking another image for 60 seconds, etc., for a total of about 10 minutes worth of "staring" at the night sky. Many stars from the southern constellations Octans and Pavonis can be seen in the images. The brightest ones in this view would be easily visible to the naked eye, but the faintest ones are slightly dimmer than the human eye can detect. In addition to the star trails, there are several smaller linear streaks, dots and splotches that are the trails left by cosmic rays hitting the camera detectors. Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that are created in the Sun and in other stars throughout our galaxy and travel through space in all directions. Some of them strike Earth or other planets, and ones that strike a digital camera detector can leave little tracks or splotches like those seen in these images. Because they come from all directions, some strike the detector face-on, and others strike at glancing angles. Some even skip across the detector like flat rocks skipped across a pond. These are very common phenomena to astronomers used to working with sensitive digital cameras like those in the Mars rovers, the Hubble Space Telescope, or other space probes, and while they can be a nuisance when taking pictures, they generally do not cause any lasting damage to the cameras. One streak in the image, crossing at an angle very different from the direction of the stars'"motion," might be a meteor trail or could be the mark of another cosmic ray. While hunting for meteors on Mars, Annotated Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol 643 The panoramic cameras on NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers are about as sensitive as the human eye at night. The cameras can see the same bright stars that we can see from Earth, and the same patterns of constellations dot the night sky. Scientists on the rover team have been taking images of some of these bright stars as part of several different projects. One project is designed to try to capture "shooting stars," or meteors, in the Martian night sky. "Meteoroids" are small pieces of comets and asteroids that travel through space and eventually run into a planet. On Earth, we can sometimes see meteoroids become brilliant, long "meteors" streaking across the night sky as they burn up from the friction in our atmosphere. Some of these meteors survive their fiery flight and land on the surface (or in the ocean) where, if found, they are called "meteorites." The same thing happens in the Martian atmosphere, and Spirit even accidentally discovered a meteor while attempting to obtain images of Earth in the pre-dawn sky back in March, 2004 (see http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040311a.html [ http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040311a.html ], is fun, ultimately the team wants to use the images and results for scientific purposes. These include helping to validate the models and predictions for interplanetary meteor storms, providing information on the rate of impacts of small meteoroids with Mars for comparison with rates for the Earth and Moon, assessing the rate and intensity of cosmic ray impact events in the Martian environment, and looking at whether some bright stars are being dimmed occasionally by water ice or dust clouds occurring at night during different Martian seasons. |
|
Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol
…
PIA03615
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol 668 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol 668 The panoramic cameras on NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers are about as sensitive as the human eye at night. The cameras can see the same bright stars that we can see from Earth, and the same patterns of constellations dot the night sky. Scientists on the rover team have been taking images of some of these bright stars as part of several different projects. One project is designed to try to capture "shooting stars," or meteors, in the martian night sky. "Meteoroids" are small pieces of comets and asteroids that travel through space and eventually run into a planet. On Earth, we can sometimes see meteoroids become brilliant, long "meteors" streaking across the night sky as they burn up from the friction in our atmosphere. Some of these meteors survive their fiery flight and land on the surface (or in the ocean) where, if found, they are called "meteorites." The same thing happens in the martian atmosphere, and Spirit even accidentally discovered a meteor while attempting to obtain images of Earth in the pre-dawn sky back in March, 2004 (see http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040311a.html, and Selsis et al. (2005) Nature, vol 435, p. 581). On Earth, some meteors come in "storms" or "showers" at predictable times of the year, like the famous Perseid meteor shower in August or the Leonid meteor shower in November. These "storms" happen when Earth passes through the same parts of space where comets sometimes pass. The meteors we see at these times are from leftover debris that was shed off of these comets. The same kind of thing is predicted for Mars, as well. Inspired by calculations about Martian meteor storms by meteor scientists from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and the Centre de Recherche en Astrophysique de Lyon in France, and also aided by other meteor research colleagues from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, scientists on the rover team planned some observations to try to detect predicted meteor storms in October and November, 2005. The views shown here are a composite of nine 60-second exposures taken with the panoramic camera on Spirit during night hours of sol 668 (Nov. 18, 2005), during a week when Mars was predicted to pass through a meteor stream associated with Halley's comet. The south celestial pole is at the center of the frame. Many stars can be seen in the images, appearing as short, curved streaks forming arcs around the center point. The star trails are curved because Mars is rotating while the camera takes the images. The brightest stars in this view would be easily visible to the naked eye, but the faintest ones are slightly dimmer than the human eye can detect. In addition to the star trails, there are several smaller linear streaks, dots and splotches that are the trails left by cosmic rays hitting the camera detectors. Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that are created in the Sun and in other stars throughout our galaxy and travel, through space in all directions. Some of them strike Earth or other planets, and ones that strike a digital camera detector can leave little tracks or splotches like those seen in these images. Because they come from all directions, some strike the detector face-on, and others strike at glancing angles. Some even skip across the detector like flat rocks skipped across a pond. These are very common phenomena to astronomers used to working with sensitive digital cameras like those in the Mars rovers, the Hubble Space Telescope, or other space probes, and while they can be a nuisance when taking pictures, they generally do not cause any lasting damage to the cameras. Three of the streaks in the image, including one spanning most of the distance from the left edge of the frame to the center, might be meteor trails or could be the marks of other cosmic rays. While hunting for meteors on Mars is fun, ultimately the team wants to use the images and results for scientific purposes. These include helping to validate the models and predictions for interplanetary meteor storms, providing information on the rate of impacts of small meteoroids with Mars for comparison with rates for the Earth and Moon, assessing the rate and intensity of cosmic ray impact events in the Martian environment, and looking at whether some bright stars are being dimmed occasionally by water ice or dust clouds occurring at night during different Martian seasons. |
|
Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol
…
PIA03615
Sol (our sun)
Panoramic Camera
| Title |
Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol 668 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Meteor Search by Spirit, Sol 668 The panoramic cameras on NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers are about as sensitive as the human eye at night. The cameras can see the same bright stars that we can see from Earth, and the same patterns of constellations dot the night sky. Scientists on the rover team have been taking images of some of these bright stars as part of several different projects. One project is designed to try to capture "shooting stars," or meteors, in the martian night sky. "Meteoroids" are small pieces of comets and asteroids that travel through space and eventually run into a planet. On Earth, we can sometimes see meteoroids become brilliant, long "meteors" streaking across the night sky as they burn up from the friction in our atmosphere. Some of these meteors survive their fiery flight and land on the surface (or in the ocean) where, if found, they are called "meteorites." The same thing happens in the martian atmosphere, and Spirit even accidentally discovered a meteor while attempting to obtain images of Earth in the pre-dawn sky back in March, 2004 (see http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040311a.html, and Selsis et al. (2005) Nature, vol 435, p. 581). On Earth, some meteors come in "storms" or "showers" at predictable times of the year, like the famous Perseid meteor shower in August or the Leonid meteor shower in November. These "storms" happen when Earth passes through the same parts of space where comets sometimes pass. The meteors we see at these times are from leftover debris that was shed off of these comets. The same kind of thing is predicted for Mars, as well. Inspired by calculations about Martian meteor storms by meteor scientists from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and the Centre de Recherche en Astrophysique de Lyon in France, and also aided by other meteor research colleagues from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, scientists on the rover team planned some observations to try to detect predicted meteor storms in October and November, 2005. The views shown here are a composite of nine 60-second exposures taken with the panoramic camera on Spirit during night hours of sol 668 (Nov. 18, 2005), during a week when Mars was predicted to pass through a meteor stream associated with Halley's comet. The south celestial pole is at the center of the frame. Many stars can be seen in the images, appearing as short, curved streaks forming arcs around the center point. The star trails are curved because Mars is rotating while the camera takes the images. The brightest stars in this view would be easily visible to the naked eye, but the faintest ones are slightly dimmer than the human eye can detect. In addition to the star trails, there are several smaller linear streaks, dots and splotches that are the trails left by cosmic rays hitting the camera detectors. Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that are created in the Sun and in other stars throughout our galaxy and travel, through space in all directions. Some of them strike Earth or other planets, and ones that strike a digital camera detector can leave little tracks or splotches like those seen in these images. Because they come from all directions, some strike the detector face-on, and others strike at glancing angles. Some even skip across the detector like flat rocks skipped across a pond. These are very common phenomena to astronomers used to working with sensitive digital cameras like those in the Mars rovers, the Hubble Space Telescope, or other space probes, and while they can be a nuisance when taking pictures, they generally do not cause any lasting damage to the cameras. Three of the streaks in the image, including one spanning most of the distance from the left edge of the frame to the center, might be meteor trails or could be the marks of other cosmic rays. While hunting for meteors on Mars is fun, ultimately the team wants to use the images and results for scientific purposes. These include helping to validate the models and predictions for interplanetary meteor storms, providing information on the rate of impacts of small meteoroids with Mars for comparison with rates for the Earth and Moon, assessing the rate and intensity of cosmic ray impact events in the Martian environment, and looking at whether some bright stars are being dimmed occasionally by water ice or dust clouds occurring at night during different Martian seasons. |
|
Clouds Over Morning Limb
PIA04562
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
| Title |
Clouds Over Morning Limb |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-380, 3 June 2003 Mars Global Surveyor orbits the red planet 12 times each day. Half of each orbit is spent on the day side of Mars, which is where most Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images are obtained because sunlight is required to illuminate the surfaces being observed. However, on the night side of Mars, the wide angle cameras can see clouds and hazes above the sunward martian limb. The limb is the edge of the planet as it appears when viewed from an oblique perspective. This blue wide angle camera image, obtained on the night side of Mars on May 15, 2003, shows clouds picking up the first sunlight before dawn near 55° north latitude. The scene is illuminated by sunlight from the right. The sun is actually on the other side of the planet, and has not yet risen over this region. The dark area on the left side of the picture is the martian surface at night. The dark band on the right side is outer space. The bright features just right of center are the clouds hanging above the martian limb over the planet's northern plains. North is toward the top and east is to the right, the spacecraft was moving southward when the image was acquired. |
|
Impact Crater
PIA04049
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
…
| Title |
Impact Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the dawn of the Space Age (October 4, 1957). On this date the former Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite, Sputnik 1. Sputnik means fellow traveler. For comparison Sputnik 1 weighed only 83.6 kg (184 pounds) while Mars Odyssey weighs in at 758 kg (1,671 pounds). This scene shows several interesting geologic features associated with impact craters on Mars. The continuous lobes of material that make up the ejecta blanket of the large impact crater are evidence that the crater ejecta were fluidized upon impact of the meteor that formed the crater. Volatiles within the surface mixed with the ejecta upon impact thus creating the fluidized form. Several smaller impact craters are also observed within the ejecta blanket of the larger impact crater giving a relative timing of events. Layering of geologic units is also observed within the large impact crater walls and floor and may represent different compositional units that erode at variable rates. Cliff faces, dissected gullies, and heavily eroded impact craters are observed in the bottom half of the image at the terminus of a flat-topped plateau. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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Impact Crater
PIA04049
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
…
| Title |
Impact Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the dawn of the Space Age (October 4, 1957). On this date the former Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite, Sputnik 1. Sputnik means fellow traveler. For comparison Sputnik 1 weighed only 83.6 kg (184 pounds) while Mars Odyssey weighs in at 758 kg (1,671 pounds). This scene shows several interesting geologic features associated with impact craters on Mars. The continuous lobes of material that make up the ejecta blanket of the large impact crater are evidence that the crater ejecta were fluidized upon impact of the meteor that formed the crater. Volatiles within the surface mixed with the ejecta upon impact thus creating the fluidized form. Several smaller impact craters are also observed within the ejecta blanket of the larger impact crater giving a relative timing of events. Layering of geologic units is also observed within the large impact crater walls and floor and may represent different compositional units that erode at variable rates. Cliff faces, dissected gullies, and heavily eroded impact craters are observed in the bottom half of the image at the terminus of a flat-topped plateau. Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Just after dawn, the encapsulated Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) arrives on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft will be lifted up the Vertical Integration Facility in the background and mated with the Atlas V rocket already there. The MRO is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. |
| Release Date |
07/28/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As dawn arrives, the encapsulated Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is transported to Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The MRO is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. |
| Release Date |
07/28/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Delta II first stage waits for the mating of additional solid rocket boosters for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A solid rocket booster is raised off its transporter before being lifted into the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The booster will be mated to the Delta II first stage for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Next to the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Delta II first stage is being mated to the solid rocket boosters for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Another solid rocket booster arrives on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to be mated to the Delta II first stage. The Delta is the launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, buildup of the Delta II first stage and solid rocket boosters for the Dawn spacecraft is seen. Below the rocket is the flame trench, and in the foreground is the overflow pool. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians at Astrotech check the Dawn spacecraft before spin-balance testing. After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft transportation canister for the trip to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the Delta II rocket at Launch Pad 17-B.The Dawn spacecraft will employ ion propulsion to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail these largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations. Ceres and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller |
| Release Date |
06/13/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A solid rocket booster is ready for lifting into the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The booster will be mated to the Delta II first stage for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A solid rocket booster is ready for lifting into the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The booster will be mated to the Delta II first stage for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Three solid rocket boosters are suspended in the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating to the Delta II first stage for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft is ready for spin-balance testing. After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft transportation canister for the trip to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the Delta II rocket at Launch Pad 17-B. The Dawn spacecraft will employ ion propulsion to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail these largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations. Ceres and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller |
| Release Date |
06/13/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- This closeup shows four of the nine solid rocket boosters being mated to the Delta II first stage on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians at Astrotech are preparing the Dawn spacecraft for spin-balance testing. After the test, Dawn will then be mated to the upper stage booster, installed into a spacecraft transportation canister for the trip to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the Delta II rocket at Launch Pad 17-B. The Dawn spacecraft will employ ion propulsion to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail these largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations. Ceres and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller |
| Release Date |
06/13/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On June 11, during a procedure to prepare the Dawn spacecraft for spin-balance testing, the back of a solar array panel was slightly damaged by a technician's tool. The size of the affected area is about 2.5 inches by 2 inches. The necessary minor repairs will be made during the coming weekend. There is no impact to the launch date of July 7. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Photo courtesy of Orbital Sciences |
| Release Date |
06/14/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A third solid rocket booster is raised off its transporter before being lifted into the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The booster will join the others suspended in the tower to be mated to the Delta II first stage for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft arrives on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where it will be mated with the first stage. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy is the strongest rocket in the Delta II class. It will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller |
| Release Date |
06/15/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Another solid rocket booster is raised off its transporter before being lifted into the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The booster will join the other suspended in the tower to be mated to the Delta II first stage for launch of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- This closeup shows the slight damage done by a technician's tool to the back of a solar array panel on June 11 during a procedure to prepare the Dawn spacecraft for spin-balance testing. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett |
| Release Date |
06/15/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the mobile service tower with solid rocket boosters inside nears the Delta II first stage. The Delta is the launch vehicle of the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Launch is targeted for July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann |
| Release Date |
06/11/2007 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
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| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On June 11, during a procedure to prepare the Dawn spacecraft for spin-balance testing, the back of a solar array panel was slightly damaged by a technician's tool. The size of the affected area is about 2.5 inches by 2 inches. The necessary minor repairs will be made during the coming weekend. There is no impact to the launch date of July 7. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Photo courtesy of Orbital Sciences |
| Release Date |
06/14/2007 |
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