Dawn's last mission extensions at Ceres, From XMO3 to EOM |
Dawn's last mission extensions at Ceres, From XMO3 to EOM |
Feb 1 2017, 02:37 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 544 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Oklahoma Member No.: 557 |
This thread will cover all final phases of the Dawn mission, the end of which is not certain at this point.
XMO3 was suppose to be the final orbit, but now plans have changed and it will move into a new higher altitude and higher phase orbit soon. This will be XMO4. An interesting monthly journal for January details the plan: Dawn Journal 31 January 2017 |
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Jun 21 2017, 06:40 AM
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Director of Galilean Photography Group: Members Posts: 896 Joined: 15-July 04 From: Austin, TX Member No.: 93 |
I agree, stay at Ceres, but in a long term parking orbit that would allow for long term observations, with possible dips to a close orbit for flybys of anything interesting. I doubt we'll see significant changes, but maybe we'll get lucky. Occator crater is such an enigma, with the youth of the central mound. It is fascinating that two icy bodies (Ceres and Enceladus) that span an order of magnitude of sizes have localized activity.
-------------------- Space Enthusiast Richard Hendricks
-- "The engineers, as usual, made a tremendous fuss. Again as usual, they did the job in half the time they had dismissed as being absolutely impossible." --Rescue Party, Arthur C Clarke Mother Nature is the final inspector of all quality. |
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