Lab's instruments ready to measure Vesta

June 16, 2011—Carrying a gamma-ray and neutron detector developed at LANL, NASA's Dawn spacecraft is en route to study the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.

The craft is designed to help the science team learn more about the processes of the early solar system by studying these two very different celestial bodies. Vesta is dry and rocky, while Ceres may contain water-bearing minerals and have a slight atmosphere.

The gamma-ray and neutron detector on board was a product of the International, Space and Response Division, originally created by a team led by retired LANL Fellow Bill Feldman. Other key team members included Bruce Barraclough, John Bernardin, Bob Dingler, Don Enemark, the late Ken Fuller, Doug Patrick, Tom Prettyman (no longer at LANL), Steve Storms, and Bob Willifordd (no longer at LANL).

Now that Dawn is approaching Vesta, the framing camera has begun capturing imagery of the turning asteroid and NASA has created a stop-motion video of the target rock.

To analyze the asteroid and dwarf planet, Dawn will use three main instruments: a visible camera, a visible and infrared mapping spectrometer, and the LANL gamma ray and neutron spectrometer. In addition to these instruments, radiometric and optical navigation data will provide data relating to the gravity field and, thus, the bulk properties and internal structure of the two bodies.

See more about the Dawn mission.