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DAWN'S Operations in Cruise from Vesta to CeresOn 5 September 2012, Dawn concluded its successful exploration of Vesta, the second most massive object in the main asteroid belt. The spacecraft departed after 14 months in orbit and is now using its ion propulsion system to travel to dwarf planet Ceres, the most massive main-belt asteroid. The principal activity now is thrusting with the ion propulsion system to provide the 3.4 km/s required to rendezvous with Ceres early in 2015. Because two of the four reaction wheels have experienced faults and are likely unrecoverable, a substantial effort has been invested in preparing for Ceres operations with alternate attitude control methods. The project has engaged in an intensive campaign to reduce hydrazine expenditures, which has resulted in a significant increase in the hydrazine expected to be available for Ceres. Based on this work, studies provide good confidence that the required activities at Ceres can be completed. This paper describes post-Vesta operations, including measures taken to conserve hydrazine as well as other preparations for Ceres.
Document ID
20150007126
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Rayman, Marc D.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Mase, Robert A.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
May 1, 2015
Publication Date
September 27, 2013
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2013)
Location: Beijing
Country: China
Start Date: September 23, 2013
End Date: September 27, 2013
Sponsors: International Inst. of Space Law, International Academy of Astronautics, International Astronautical Federation, Chinese Society of Astronautics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Dawn
Vesta
ion propulsion
reaction wheels
solar electric propulsion
Ceres
asteriods

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