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Mapping Vesta: First Results from Dawn’s Survey Orbit
The geologic objectives of the Dawn Mission [1] are
to derive Vesta’s shape, map the surface geology,
understand the geological context and contribute to
the determination of the asteroids’ origin and
evolution.Geomorphology and distribution of surface features
will provide evidence for impact cratering, tectonic activity, volcanism, and regolith processes. Spectral
measurements of the surface will provide evidence of
the compositional characteristics of geological units.
Age information, as derived from crater sizefrequency
distributions, provides the stratigraphic
context for the structural and compositional mapping
results, thus revealing the geologic history of Vesta.
We present here the first results of the Dawn mission
from data collected during the approach to Vesta, and
its first discrete orbit phase – the Survey Orbit, which
lasts 21 days after the spacecraft had established a
circular polar orbit at a radius of ~3000 km with a
beta angle of 10°-15°