Flyover Footage of Asteroid Vesta From Dawn Spacecraft

I don't recall seeing this on ATS recently. Forgive me if it has been posted before, but at the end of the day all members don't all see things at the same time and we all live on different time zones.

But I found this video pretty fascinating.....



This video of the asteroid Vesta shows a shape model produced using high-altitude mapping by NASA's Dawn spacecraft from about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers) away.

The image collection was captured by Dawn's framing camera to better understand the massive rock's surface and the processes that shaped the second largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

A noticeable feature is the giant round depression at Vesta's south pole, originally seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is several hundred miles across with cliffs several miles high, including a central mountain that reaches up to about 9 miles (15 kilometers). This is one of the highest elevations on known solid objects in our solar system.

Vesta is named after the Roman goddess of home and hearth.

The asteroid's prime meridian, or zero-longitude, was pinpointed using a small crater called Claudia, christened after a Roman woman from the second century B.C.

As Dawn locates more new features, craters will be named after the goddess Vesta's priestesses—the vestal virgins—and famous Roman women. Other structures will receive names of Roman towns and festivals.

The styrations on the surface remind me of phobos somewhat, and even our own luna has these lines on it.....
I can only surmise they are from glancing strikes of other objects maybe.........
Its amazing to seee this from 1700 miles out....
i hope there will be closer views later.

intriguing, is this the asteroid we might put a manned craft on, and/or attempt to 'mine'??

Originally posted by ignant
intriguing, is this the asteroid we might put a manned craft on, and/or attempt to 'mine'??

[/quote

Wow, now that would be something I would like to see......bring it on..haha

Unreal huh. I read this asteroid has a mountain taller than anything on earth. Not that that's especially tall - but it's pretty wondrous all the same.

Thanks for the thread! S&F!

peace

reply to post by davethebear


the flyby is CGI right?

Originally posted by heineken
reply to post by davethebear

 

the flyby is CGI right?

It is a detailed model using the actual sizings/coortinates...therefore the correct height and depth etc can be seen as if it were the real thing..........

reply to post by davethebear


as you stated in the opening of the thread..

"This video of the asteroid Vesta shows a shape model produced using high-altitude mapping by NASA's Dawn spacecraft from about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers) away."

dumb me

Originally posted by heineken
reply to post by davethebear

 

as you stated in the opening of the thread..

"This video of the asteroid Vesta shows a shape model produced using high-altitude mapping by NASA's Dawn spacecraft from about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers) away."

dumb me

Yeah, well, got there eventually......haha

cheers