The Hubble Space Telescope, using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, has provided pictures of two of the largest known asteroids–Ceres and Vesta. These images are to be used in order to plan closer observations by the Dawn spacecraft, a robotic probe due for launch July 7, 2007, between 4:09:31 and 4:36:22 p.m. EDT. This launch is highly important as it will mark the first time a NASA scientific mission has used ion propulsion and the first to orbit two planetary bodies in a single flight.

Share This