Overview
Background
Dawn Dictionary
Dawn Journal
Dawn's Early Light
Fact Sheet (PDF 525 Kb)
FAQs
Ion Propulsion
Mission Status
Objectives
Partners
Spacecraft
Timeline
Mission milestones
Trajectory
Where is Dawn?

	Please review this Web site.
Tell us what you think.

Welcome to the Dawn Web site!

		+ Enlarge Image                                                     Credit: NASA/UCLA

Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail two of the largest protoplanets remaining intact since their formations. Ceres and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Each has followed a very different evolutionary path constrained by the diversity of processes that operated during the first few million years of solar system evolution.

Dawn has much to offer the general public. It brings images of varied landscapes on previously unseen worlds to the public including mountains, canyons, craters, lava flows, polar caps and, possibly ancient lakebeds, streambeds and gullies. Students can follow the mission over an entire K-12 experience as the mission is built, cruises to Vesta and Ceres and returns data. The public will be able to participate through the Solar System Ambassadors and through participation on the web.
+ Mission Objectives
+ See published article on description of mission
+ Investigating Two of the Largest Asteroids (QT 1.9 MB)

		Credit: Joe Wise

Vesta Planning Workshop
A Vesta Planning Workshop in Dana Point, CA., on May 12–14, 2008 drew members of three teams from diverse institutions in the United States, Italy, and Germany: the science team, spacecraft and operations engineering team, and the instrument team.
Stay current with developments with the mission updates and Marc Rayman's Dawn Journal. + Read More

	+ Enlarge Image                                                  Credit: NASA

Dawn Launch Pierces Morning Sky
September 27 , 2007—The strongest Delta II rocket lights its main engine and nine solid-fueled boosters—each having a four-foot wide nozzle—to catapult it toward the asteroid belt. Dawn will fly by Mars on its way to Vesta, and then ignite its ion engines again to go to Ceres.
+ Successful Launch
+ See Dawn Gallery
+ Launch Blog
+ Launch Day Videos
+ Processing Gallery

Dawn's Early Light
The Science team newsletter, Dawn's Early Light, has been established to keep members of the scientific community informed about the Dawn mission. Current and past issues are available
on line.

Site Manager: Dawn Mission Outreach Office
Webmaster: McREL
CL04-1004