Comments on: Dawn launch postponed to September

By: SCR /StevoR

SCR /StevoR — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 05:21:16 +0000

Corrected version :

So Dawn will arrive at Vesta 5 years before NewHorizons reaches Pluto and Ceres just a year before - beating NewHorizions to 1st dwarf planet exploration honours by a year - all going to schedule.

& also assuming Pluto, and for that matter, Ceres aren’t restored to proper planet status as they should be by then!

By: SCR /StevoR

SCR /StevoR — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 05:18:26 +0000

Thanks Tom.

From ‘Sky & Space’ magazine July-Aug. ‘07 article : “Journey to an asteroid … then onto a dwarf planet” Page45 :

***

“Beginning in July 2010, Dawn will study Vesta and then beginning in August 2014 the mission will move on to Ceres.”

***

So Dawn will arrive at Vesta 5 years before NewHorizons reaches Pluto and Ceres just ayear befroe beating NewHorizions to 1st dwarf planet by a year - all going to schedule.

By: Brant D

Brant D — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 22:39:12 +0000

The satellite I am using for my current research was delayed for over a year from its initial launch time. These things happen to the best of us, I suppose…

By: A Ler…-- Rastos de Luz

A Ler…-- Rastos de Luz — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:52:10 +0000

[…] “Fire at Kitt Peak Observatory“. Ainda no mesmo blog, “Dawn launch postponed to September“; […]

By: Qd

Qd — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:51:59 +0000

Bugger.

By: slang

slang — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:04:51 +0000

Perhaps just as interesting as the Dawn mission, NASA has approved new missions for the Stardust and Deep Impact probes, that both already had enormous success with their primary missions. Pretty interesting stuff, they want Stardust to re-visit Tempel1 (if the story has it right), the comet that Deep Impact punched a hole in. And Deep Impact will visit yet another comet. Amazing stuff, none of which was planned when the spacecraft were designed and launched.

Spaceflight Now has the story. (July 5th..old news )

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:11:35 +0000

Dawn will be done with its primary mission around the time New Horizon’s reaches Pluto, assuming this mission timeline holds:

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/timeline.asp

I will be curious to see whether this change in launch date effects Dawn’s ability to slingshot past Mars. The above timeline showed it when I checked, listing Dawn’s launch date as “summer 2007.” If it were traditionally propelled using chemicals, I’d say Mars was out, but I’ve found that I can’t intuit ion-propelled trajectories.