Secrets of large asteroid revealed

Posted on Friday, 11 May, 2012 | Comment icon

5 comments | News tip by: Waspie_Dwarf

Image credit: NASA

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has returned a wealth of information during its analysis of the asteroid Vesta.

The giant asteroid is not dissimilar to a small planet or moon with an iron core and is believed to be one of the building blocks of the early solar system. "Dawn's visit to Vesta has confirmed our broad theories of this giant asteroid's history, while helping to fill in details it would have been impossible to know from afar," said NASA investigator Carol Raymond. "Dawn's residence at Vesta of nearly a year has made the asteroid's planet-like qualities obvious and shown us our connection to that bright orb in our night sky."

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has provided researchers with the first orbital analysis of the giant asteroid Vesta, yielding new insights into its creation and kinship with terrestrial planets and Earth's moon.

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Source: NASA

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Recent comments on this story

#1 Posted by Xanthurion2 on 12 May, 2012, 6:41

cool

#2 Posted by Paracelse on 12 May, 2012, 8:45

When do we start mining operations and who will get to do it?

#3 Posted by 95-Nasty on 12 May, 2012, 16:45

Cant view the full artical. What will it cost the Tax payer? I heard the government tried this before and it cost too much to see it through! Aslo herd A private company/ firm (billionaires) are trying this! What ever happens (fail or succeed) how much will it cost me and you? I know and understand we have to get our resorces from some where else!

#4 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf on 12 May, 2012, 19:23

I assume you mean asteroid mining. The article has nothing at all to do with mining asteroids, it's about the discoveries made about this particular asteroid, Vesta. By "the government" and "the tax payer" I assume you mean those of the USA (this is an international site, I, for example, am a UK payer so it won't cost me a penny). Asteroid mining has never been attempted by anyone yet, so no one has "not seen it through" because of cost. The US government has no published plans to go asteroid mining so, for the foreseeable future this will cost the ... [More]

#5 Posted by Kludge808 on 14 May, 2012, 1:23

It will be interesting to see what Dawn's visit to Ceres will bring and how it compares to what we're learning now. Things like this make me glad I'm old enough (nudging 67) to see so much go from science fiction to science fact, especially in space exploration.

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