Dawn Spacecraft Begins Approach to Dwarf Planet Ceres | |
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Engonoceras User ID: 65394045 ![]() 01/03/2015 11:21 AM ![]() Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The equally fascinating part is the success of "ion propulsion". "... The spacecraft uses ion propulsion to traverse space far more efficiently than if it used chemical propulsion. In an ion propulsion engine, an electrical charge is applied to xenon gas, and charged metal grids accelerate the xenon particles out of the thruster. These particles push back on the thruster as they exit, creating a reaction force that propels the spacecraft. Dawn has now completed five years of accumulated thrust time, far more than any other spacecraft... " Last Edited by TexasPaleo on 01/03/2015 11:22 AM |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 60711472 ![]() 01/03/2015 11:41 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The equally fascinating part is the success of "ion propulsion". Quoting: Engonoceras "... The spacecraft uses ion propulsion to traverse space far more efficiently than if it used chemical propulsion. In an ion propulsion engine, an electrical charge is applied to xenon gas, and charged metal grids accelerate the xenon particles out of the thruster. These particles push back on the thruster as they exit, creating a reaction force that propels the spacecraft. Dawn has now completed five years of accumulated thrust time, far more than any other spacecraft... " They weren't even sure that the ion propulsion engine would work in "space" like they'd hoped. The first ion propulsion engine was made in 1960 (that we know of) but they had only done minimal testing on a small scale in space... Here's a cool presentation of how an ion propulsion engine works. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 24300399 ![]() 01/03/2015 11:55 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Fuck Nasa. Gonna just throw this out there: never heard or Dawn or Ceres. It sounds very interesting and cool. Like something I wouldn't mind the gov't throwing some scratch at. Why do I say this? Nasa has a bigger PR department than fucking MacDonalds. Might even rival Coca-Cola. All government employees and government contractors. I don't live in a bunker with no internet, TV or radio. Like I said, never heard of it. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 60711472 ![]() 01/03/2015 11:56 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Asteroid Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is composed of rock and ice, is 950 km in diameter, containing a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Wikipedia: Mass: 895.8E18 kg Orbital period: 1,680 days Gravity: 0.27 m/s² Discovered: January 1, 1801 Orbits: Sun Spectral type: C-type asteroid |
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Dark_Matter User ID: 66541273 ![]() 01/03/2015 12:21 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Ceres Quoting: Creeping Death Asteroid Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is composed of rock and ice, is 950 km in diameter, containing a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Wikipedia: Mass: 895.8E18 kg Orbital period: 1,680 days Gravity: 0.27 m/s² Discovered: January 1, 1801 Orbits: Sun Spectral type: C-type asteroid wow...... how can they no nothing about a planet called Ceres in 2007, but name ab asteroid Ceres in 1801 an asteroid that is 950km?!........ |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 32123667 ![]() 01/03/2015 12:29 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Ceres Quoting: Creeping Death Asteroid Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is composed of rock and ice, is 950 km in diameter, containing a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Wikipedia: Mass: 895.8E18 kg Orbital period: 1,680 days Gravity: 0.27 m/s² Discovered: January 1, 1801 Orbits: Sun Spectral type: C-type asteroid wow...... how can they no nothing about a planet called Ceres in 2007, but name ab asteroid Ceres in 1801 an asteroid that is 950km?!........ It's an Assmasteroid! |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 36140110 ![]() 01/03/2015 02:00 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Ceres Quoting: Creeping Death Asteroid Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is composed of rock and ice, is 950 km in diameter, containing a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Wikipedia: Mass: 895.8E18 kg Orbital period: 1,680 days Gravity: 0.27 m/s² Discovered: January 1, 1801 Orbits: Sun Spectral type: C-type asteroid wow...... how can they no nothing about a planet called Ceres in 2007, but name ab asteroid Ceres in 1801 an asteroid that is 950km?!........ It's unofficially a dwarf planet. I say unofficially because a lot of people assume it is and this doesn't get corrected. IIRC this is largely due to the term asteroid being loosely defined and no exact boundary where you go from asteroid to planet, so Ceres being called a dwarf planet can't be challenged very well. |
Dark_Matter User ID: 66645220 ![]() 01/03/2015 02:15 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Ceres Quoting: Creeping Death Asteroid Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is composed of rock and ice, is 950 km in diameter, containing a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Wikipedia: Mass: 895.8E18 kg Orbital period: 1,680 days Gravity: 0.27 m/s² Discovered: January 1, 1801 Orbits: Sun Spectral type: C-type asteroid wow...... how can they no nothing about a planet called Ceres in 2007, but name ab asteroid Ceres in 1801 an asteroid that is 950km?!........ It's unofficially a dwarf planet. I say unofficially because a lot of people assume it is and this doesn't get corrected. IIRC this is largely due to the term asteroid being loosely defined and no exact boundary where you go from asteroid to planet, so Ceres being called a dwarf planet can't be challenged very well. considering its outgasing id say its more of a comet planet© (lol) than an asteroid or dwarf planet.... reminds me of the funny thread 'Mars gone comet' after ISON..... Ceres gone comet alright!! |
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