NASA's Dawn spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral this morning at 7:34, after delays that pushed it back from a launch originally scheduled in July. Next step: A 1.7-billion-mile trip through the solar system on its way to and through the asteroid belt.
As we've written here before, Dawn promises to give scientists new data helping them understand how the planets formed, by studying two big asteroids that have evolved dramatically differently.
First stop, in September 2011, will be orbit around Vesta, a dry rock that seems to have evolved similarly to the inner planets in the solar system. Next will be Ceres, reached in February 2015, which seems to resemble the icy mini-planets and moons of the solar system's outer reaches.
Why two neighbors have such different characteristics – Beverly Hillbillies, anyone? – isn't yet well understood.
NASA scientists said they've received the first signal from Dawn following liftoff, and are assessing the craft's health.
Dawn's Next Stop: Vesta [NASA]
(Image: The Delta II rocket carrying dawn lifts off into the morning sky. Credit: NASA/ Kim Shiflett)
