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Dawn Mission Killed

Dawn mission
The mission would have studied the asteroids Ceres and Vesta, both relics from the early solar system

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Artist's impression: W Hartmann/JPL/NASA
In early February, Dawn principal investigator Christopher Russell, at the University of California Los Angeles, said "We were going full bore toward launch, running as fast as we could. We saw the finish line in sight and then someone shot the gun and said we're cancelling the race for a bit."

Apparently the mission was stopped after a US congressional hearing on NASA's science budget, reports NASAWatch.com, a website run by former NASA employee Keith Cowing.

Both asteroids were thought to be remnants of the first objects formed in the solar system. But they show mysterious differences in their structures – Vesta has melted and separated into layers, while Ceres has not. Dawn was to probe these differences, using close-range scrutiny.

The decision to cancel the mission came after ,more than a month, the agency was expected to complete an extensive review of the mission's progress. In October 2005, NASA ordered Dawn managers to stop work on the mission, citing excessive technical problems and a budget overrun.

More: Dawn asteroid mission killed.
Story Credit: NewScientist.com news service; Kimm Groshong

Entry posted by HotTopicsJournalist on Friday, March 3, 2006 at 15:52. Filed under Other Missions. The author does not allow comments to this entry.