Investigation process of the two most massive asteroids known as Vesta and Ceres has been delayed. The NASA mission to two of the largest asteroids in the solar system being readied for liftoff in mid-June 2006 has been placed in ’stand down’ mode. The ion-engine propelled Dawn mission is dedicated to investigating the asteroids. To improve scientific understanding of how planets formed during the earliest epoch of the solar system, Dawn is designed. And, the two ‘baby planets’, the asteroids are very different from each other yet both offer tantalizing clues about the formation of the solar system.
The decision to stand down appears to be related to budget-related measures and workforce cutbacks at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, according to SPACE.com sources.
Via: Space.com, Yahoo.com
NASA Dawn Asteroid Mission Held from Lift-off
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