Dawn's discovery journey is coming to an end

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has completed a mission that has allowed it to cross 6.9 billion kilometers over an 11-year period. Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

After more than a decade of space travel and research on asteroids and dwarf planets, NASA has Dawn the mission is over. The most likely reason the probe stopped communicating with mission officials in the field was that it was running out of fuel.

The spacecraft uses hydrazine, a highly toxic fuel source that Soviet rocket engineers have called "devil venom". Dawn However, this "venom" has allowed one of the most successful exploration missions of the last decade.

The dwarf planet Ceres seen by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA

Between 31 October and 1 November, mission officials attempted to contact the spacecraft during regular communication sessions. NASA used the agency's Deep Space network to reach Dawn, which is in orbit above the dwarf planet Ceres.

"The fact that the license plate frame of my car proclaims:" My other vehicle is in the main asteroid belt "shows how proud I am of DawnSaid Mission Director and Chief Engineer Marc Rayman at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "The requests we have made Dawn were great, but it was a challenge every time. It's hard to say goodbye to this amazing spaceship, but the time has come. "

Since the beginning of its mission in 2007, the satellite has traveled about 6.9 billion kilometers.

"In many ways, Dawn's legacy is just beginning," said Principal Researcher Carol Raymond at JPL. "Dawn's Scientists will study in depth how planets develop and differentiate, and when and where life could have formed in our solar system. Ceres and Vesta also play an important role in the study of distant planetary systems, as they provide insight into the conditions that may exist around young stars. "

Members of the Dawn team concluded that the most likely cause of his silence was the lack of fuel. Thanks to its ability to redirect its antenna towards the Earth or to direct its solar panels towards the Earth, the spacecraft has become silent without capacity of recharge.

According to the protocols defined by the Planetary Protection Office, the satellite is in an orbit that should see it orbiting the tiny world for at least 20 years (by some estimates it would be as long as 50 years).

Dawn was launched in 2007 at the top of a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida. Photo credit: NASA

Dawn is a Discovery Program project run by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The satellite built by Northrop Grumman was launched on the 7925H Delta II rocket hired to send the satellite on the first leg of its trip by United Launch Alliance. Takeoff of the 17B Space Launch Complex at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida on September 27, 2007.

The probe embeds four scientific experiments that study the geology of its two targets, thus providing scientists with a better understanding of their formation and that of other bodies in the asteroid belt. Strange formations on Ceres suggest that some of these worlds may have already occupied oceans.

With the help of ion engines, Dawn was able to surround the asteroid Vesta before breaking its orbit and moving to Ceres. That made history – Dawn was the first spaceship to visit a dwarf planet and the first to orbit two worlds.

"Today we celebrate the end of our Dawn mission – its incredible technical achievements, vital science and the entire team that made the spacecraft make these discoveries, "said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Amazing images and data that Dawn collected from Vesta and Ceres are essential to understanding the history and evolution of our solar system. "

Tagés: Main Stories of Ceres Dawn NASA Vesta

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Jason Rhian

Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills doing internships with NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content to sites such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.