NASA Spacecraft Slips Into Ceres' Orbit For First-Ever Visit To Dwarf Planet
LOS ANGELES (CBS SF) — A NASA spacecraft for the first time has arrived at a dwarf planet to begin a 16-month exploration, and scientists are eager to learn more about the mysterious bright spot discovered last month.
The space agency on Friday confirmed that the Dawn craft entered orbit around Ceres in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Unlike other orbit captures that requiring thruster firings to slow down, Dawn gradually slipped into place.
The encounter occurred when Dawn was pointed away from Earth so it took some time before flight controllers could confirm the craft was healthy.
Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, is the second and final stop for Dawn, which previously visited the asteroid Vesta.
Detailed images taken in February showed a number of craters and brights spots that scientists believe tell how Ceres, the first object discovered in our solar system's asteroid belt, formed and whether its surface is changing.
"What's exciting is we don't know what (the spots) are," Ben Burress, a staff astronomer at the Chabot Space and Science Center told KPIX 5.
But as the spacecraft spirals into closer and closer orbits around the dwarf planet, researchers say the strange features could suggest current geological activity and something much bigger.
"It means potentially life-friendly habitat. So, potentially, we might find life there," Burress said.
Ceres is the first of two dwarf planets to receive visitors this year. This summer, another NASA spacecraft — New Horizons — will make a stop at Pluto, the one-time ninth planet.
TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten. The Associated Press contributed to this report.