The Dawn mission, launched in September 2007, is the only spacecraft ever to orbit two destinations beyond Earth, and the only to orbit an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Dawn completed an exploration of Vesta in 2011-2012 and arrived in orbit around Ceres in 2015. Remnants from the time that planets were formed, Ceres and Vesta hold clues that will help scientists understand the origins of the solar system. Marc Rayman gave a presentation on the Dawn mission and its use of ion propulsion, as well as its two exotic destinations. For more on the Dawn mission, visit For more on JPL’s von Karman lecture series, please see Speaker: Marc Rayman, Mission Director and Chief Engineer, Dawn Mission, JPL
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