Finally, we're paying homage to the two largest asteroids in our solar system!
Dawn will be launched sometime in June 2006. It's mission will take it toward 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta, where it will orbit both asteroids and study them for months on end. Dawn is equipped with an ion propulsion system and twelve hydrazine monopropellant thrusters for maneuvering. For more information: http://www-ssc.igpp.ucla.edu/dawn/index.html
Anyone no anybody working on this project? This is a pretty fascinating mission when you sit and think about it, yet it won't get anywhere near the publicity as a mission to Mars would.
