In two weeks, Dawn will enter orbit around the "dwarf planet" Ceres. It is essentially a less-well-known Pluto, and it will be fascinating to compare the two.
It will mark another triumph for the engineers who designed the xenon ion thrusters which enabled it to get there so (relatively) quickly. That propulsion system has really revolutionized space exploration by providing velocities never thought possible before.
It will mark another triumph for the engineers who designed the xenon ion thrusters which enabled it to get there so (relatively) quickly. That propulsion system has really revolutionized space exploration by providing velocities never thought possible before.