09 27 07

Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 dwayne c brown@nasa gov

DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif 818-393-9011 david c agle@jpl nasa gov

RELEASE: 07-212

DAWN SPACECRAFT SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla - NASA's Dawn spacecraft began its 1 7-billion-mile journey through the inner solar system to study a pair of asteroids Thursday at 7:34 a m EDT

The Delta 2 rocket, fitted with nine strap-on solid-fuel boosters, safely climbed away from the Florida coastline and Launch Pad 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station "We have our time machine up and flying," said Dawn Principal Investigator Christopher Russell of the University of California, Los Angeles

Dawn is scheduled to begin its exploration of Vesta in 2011 and Ceres in 2015 The two icons of the asteroid belt are located in orbit between Mars and Jupiter and have been witness to so much of our solar system's history

By using the same set of instruments at two separate destinations, scientists can more accurately formulate comparisons and contrasts Dawn's science instrument suite will measure shape, surface topography and tectonic history, elemental and mineral composition, as well as seek out water-bearing minerals

A critical milestone for the spacecraft comes in acquiring its signal The launch team expects that to occur in approximately two to three hours

For the latest information about Dawn and its mission, visit:

http://www nasa gov/dawn

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