NASA dawn spacecraft

[steingar]

With all the crying over the end of the shuttle program, I thought it appropriate to post a story about Dawn, an innovative spacecraft that has just entered orbit around Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the solar system. It seems space exploration is alive and well.

 

[Doggtyred]

With all the crying over the end of the shuttle program, I thought it appropriate to post a story about Dawn, an innovative spacecraft that has just entered orbit around Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the solar system. It seems space exploration is alive and well.

And it has been for years. Unmanned spaceflight has been going places and doing things for years. It's just not as as sexy.

 

[Doggtyred]

And it has been for years. Unmanned spaceflight has been going places and doing things for years. It's just not as as sexy.

The Japs outpace us a lot in the asteroid business. They've landed on one quite a few years ago.

 

[Jay Honeck]

With all the crying over the end of the shuttle program, I thought it appropriate to post a story about Dawn, an innovative spacecraft that has just entered orbit around Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the solar system. It seems space exploration is alive and well.

Very cool!

It just doesn't get us anywhere. Literally.

 

[Anthony]

Where no man.....er, thing has gone before!

 

[fgcason]

It just doesn't get us anywhere. Literally.

At least they are trying.

You gotta have a goal. Limping into low Earth orbit and hoping to not blow up in the process for 30 years isn't much of a goal.


If you think Dawn is something, take a look at the pictures Cassini is sending back. Any beancounter that tries to stop that kind of thing should be taken out to the launch pad and chained in the exhaust trench.

 

[Bob Noel]

Very cool!

It just doesn't get us anywhere. Literally.

It's all part of the package.

Exploration of space cannot be done with just manned missions.

Of course, we cannot truly explore space without manned missions either.

 

[steingar]

Very cool!

It just doesn't get us anywhere. Literally.

Baloney. In addition to testing novel propulsion and guidance systems, it will tell us far more than any manned mission ever about the composition of the planets in the solar system. Even the moon landings failed to accomplish as much, except perhaps the last one.

Manned missions are more publicity stunt than scientific discovery. We'll go when there is a reason to do so other than chanting "we're number one!"

 

[Bob Noel]

Baloney. In addition to testing novel propulsion and guidance systems, it will tell us far more than any manned mission ever about the composition of the planets in the solar system. Even the moon landings failed to accomplish as much, except perhaps the last one.

Manned missions are more publicity stunt than scientific discovery. We'll go when there is a reason to do so other than chanting "we're number one!"

I guess the rocks and soil samples weren't of any value.

 

[Anthony]

Just another UAV. Ho, hum. Sure we need the unmanned stuff, but when that is the only program you have its a bit dissapointing, but that's where we are as a nation, isn't it?

Maybe the Japanese, Russians, Indians, and Chinese can inspire us.