Ida and Gaspra http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00332

During its examination of the asteroid Ida, NASA Galileo spacecraft returned images of a second object, Dactyl--the first confirmed satellite or moon of an asteroid; the much smaller moon is visible to the right of Ida. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00333

This is the first full picture showing both asteroid 243 Ida and its newly discovered moon to be transmitted to Earth from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Galileo spacecraft--the first conclusive evidence that natural satellites of asteroids exist. Ida, the large object, is about 56 kilometers (35 miles) long. Ida's natural satellite is the small object to the right. This portrait was taken by Galileo's charge-coupled device (CCD) camera on August 28, 1993, about 14 minutes before the Jupiter-bound spacecraft's closest approach to the asteroid, from a range of 10,870 kilometers (6,755 miles). Ida is a heavily cratered, irregularly shaped asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter -- the 243rd asteroid to be discovered since the first was found at the beginning of the 19th century. Ida is a member of a group of asteroids called the Koronis family. The small satellite, which is about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) across in this view, has yet to be given a name by astronomers. It has been provisionally designated '1993 (243) 1' by the International Astronomical Union. ('1993' denotes the year the picture was taken, '243' the asteroid number and '1' the fact that it is the first moon of Ida to be found.) Although appearing to be 'next' to Ida, the satellite is actually in the foreground, slightly closer to the spacecraft than Ida is. Combining this image with data from Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer, the science team estimates that the satellite is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away from the center of Ida. This image, which was taken through a green filter, is one of a six-frame series using different color filters. The spatial resolution in this image is about 100 meters (330 feet) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00136

Nine Galileo Views in Exaggerated Color of Main-Belt Asteroid Ida http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00331

Nine Galileo Views in Natural Color of Main-Belt Asteroid Ida http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00330

This montage of 14 images the time order is right to left, bottom to top shows asterpod Ida as it appeared in the field of view of NASA Galileo camera on August 28, 1993. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00070

This color picture is made from images taken by the imaging system on NASA Galileo spacecraft about 14 minutes before its closest approach to asteroid 243 Ida on August 28, 1993. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00069

This composite image shows the asteroid 243 Ida as seen from NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its approach on August 28, 1993. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00137

This view of the asteroid 243 Ida is a mosaic of five image frames acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft solid-state imaging system at ranges of 3,057 to 3,821 kilometers 1,900 to 2,375 miles on August 28, 1993. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00135

NASA's Galileo imaging system captured this picture of the limb of the asteroid 243 Ida about 46 seconds after its closest approach on August 28, 1993, from a range of only 2480 kilometers. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00138

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This image shows JPL Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer instrument onboard NASA Terra satellite on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 as it passed over Hurricane Ida while situated between western Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula.

On August 27, 2021 Ida crossed over Cuba as a Category 1 Storm. 48 hours later the storm intensified to a Category 4 before making landfall on the coast of Louisiana. The storm was the second most destructive storm to ever make landfall on the Louisiana coast with sustained winds over 150 mph (240 km/h). The rapid intensification process that the storm system underwent is not well understood. Satellite images such as this are helpful as scientists attempt to understand new weather patterns that are emerging with Global Climate Change. Tasked with detecting plant water use and stress, ECOSTRESS's primary mission is to measure the temperature of plants heating up as they run out of water. But it can also measure and track heat-related phenomena like wildfires, heat waves, and volcanoes. ECOSTRESS observations have a spatial resolution of about 77 by 77 yards (70 by 70 meters), which enables researchers to study surface-temperature conditions down to the size of a football field. Due to the space station's unique orbit, the mission can acquire images of the same regions at different times of the day, as opposed to crossing over each area at the same time of day like satellites in other orbits do. This is advantageous when monitoring plant stress in the same area throughout the day, for example. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24210

NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), aboard the Aqua satellite, caught views of Hurricane Ida as the high-end Category 4 storm swept ashore around noon local time on Aug. 29, 2021, near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. One snapshot showed the hurricane around 3 a.m. that day while it was still over the Gulf of Mexico. The second view (Figure 1) caught the storm around 1:45 p.m. local time. In the infrared AIRS imagery, purple areas indicate very cold clouds carried high into the atmosphere by towering thunderstorms. These regions are also associated with heavy rainfall. Blue and green indicate warmer areas with shallower rain clouds. The orange and red areas represent mostly cloud-free air. The eye of the hurricane is seen just over the Louisiana coast as a small blue-green area in the middle of the large patch of purple in the after-landfall image. AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), senses emitted infrared and microwave radiation from Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at the planet's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations down to Earth's surface. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, three-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. Launched into Earth orbit in 2002 aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, the AIRS and AMSU instruments are managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of Caltech. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24538

This image was the most detailed picture of then recently discovered natural satellite of asteroid 243 Ida taken by the Galileo Solid-State Imaging camera during its encounter with the asteroid on August 28, 1993. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00297

This image is the first full picture showing both asteroid 243 Ida and its newly discovered moon to be transmitted to Earth from NASA's Galileo spacecraft--the first conclusive evidence that natural satellites of asteroids exist. Ida is the large object to the left, about 56 kilometers (35 miles long). Ida's natural satellite is the small object to the right. This portrait was taken by Galileo's charge-coupled device (CCD) camera on August 28, 1993, about 14 minutes before the spacecraft's closest approach to the asteriod, from a range of 10,870 kilometers (6,755 miles). Ida is a heavily cratered, irregularly shaped asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter-- the 243rd asteroid to be discovered since the first one was found at the beginning of the 19th century. It is a member of a group of asteroids called the Koronis family. The small satellite, which is about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) across in this view, has yet to be given a name by astronomers. It has been provisionally designated '1993 (243) 1' by the International Astronomical Union. (The numbers denote the year the picture was taken, the asteroid number and the fact that it is the first moon of Ida to be found.) ALthough the satellite appears to be 'next' to Ida it is actually slightly in the foreground, closer to the spacecraft than Ida. Combining this image with data from Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer, the science team estimates that the object is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away from the center of Ida. This image is one of a six-frame series taken through different color filters, this one in green. The spatial resolution in this image is about 100 meters (330 feet) per pixel. The Galileo spacecraft flew past Ida en route to its final destination, Jupiter, where it will go into orbit in December 1995. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the galileo Project for NASA's Office of Space Science. (JPL ref. No. P-43731)

iss065e319865 (Aug. 28, 2021) --- Hurricane Ida is pictured as a category 2 storm from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above the Gulf of Mexico.

iss060e043181 (Aug. 21, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan is pictured working outside the International Space Station during a six-hour and 32-minute spacewalk to install the orbiting lab’s second commercial crew vehicle docking port, the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3). The IDA-3 will accommodate the future arrivals of Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon commercial crew spacecraft.

iss060e038228 (Aug. 21, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Nick Hague is pictured in his U.S. spacesuit inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock preparing to begin a six-hour and 32-minute spacewalk to install the orbiting lab’s second commercial crew vehicle docking port, the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3). The IDA-3 will accommodate the future arrivals of Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon commercial crew spacecraft.

iss060e038222 (Aug. 21, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan is pictured in his U.S. spacesuit inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock preparing to begin a six-hour and 32-minute spacewalk to install the orbiting lab’s second commercial crew vehicle docking port, the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3). The IDA-3 will accommodate the future arrivals of Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon commercial crew spacecraft.

iss060e038215 (Aug. 21, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Christina Koch poses for a portrait with Andrew Morgan and Nick Hague in their U.S. spacesuits before beginning a six-hour and 32-minute spacewalk to install the orbiting lab’s second commercial crew vehicle docking port, the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3). The IDA-3 will accommodate the future arrivals of Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon commercial crew spacecraft.

The International Docking Adapter 3, a critical component for future crewed missions to the International Space Station, is carefully packed away in the unpressurized “trunk” section of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 19. It will launch to the orbiting laboratory in July on the company’s 18th commercial resupply mission. The adapter will support future U.S. crewed vehicles visiting the station.

The International Docking Adapter 3, a critical component for future crewed missions to the International Space Station, is carefully packed away in the unpressurized “trunk” section of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 19. It will launch to the orbiting laboratory in July on the company’s 18th commercial resupply mission. The adapter will support future U.S. crewed vehicles visiting the station.

The International Docking Adapter 3, a critical component for future crewed missions to the International Space Station, is carefully packed away in the unpressurized “trunk” section of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 19. It will launch to the orbiting laboratory in July on the company’s 18th commercial resupply mission. The adapter will support future U.S. crewed vehicles visiting the station.

The International Docking Adapter 3, a critical component for future crewed missions to the International Space Station, is carefully packed away in the unpressurized “trunk” section of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 19. It will launch to the orbiting laboratory in July on the company’s 18th commercial resupply mission. The adapter will support future U.S. crewed vehicles visiting the station.

The International Docking Adapter 3, a critical component for future crewed missions to the International Space Station, is carefully packed away in the unpressurized “trunk” section of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 19. It will launch to the orbiting laboratory in July on the company’s 18th commercial resupply mission. The adapter will support future U.S. crewed vehicles visiting the station.

The International Docking Adapter 3, a critical component for future crewed missions to the International Space Station, is carefully packed away in the unpressurized “trunk” section of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 19. It will launch to the orbiting laboratory in July on the company’s 18th commercial resupply mission. The adapter will support future U.S. crewed vehicles visiting the station.

The International Docking Adapter 3, a critical component for future crewed missions to the International Space Station, is carefully packed away in the unpressurized “trunk” section of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 19. It will launch to the orbiting laboratory in July on the company’s 18th commercial resupply mission. The adapter will support future U.S. crewed vehicles visiting the station.

International Docking Adapter #2 installation for SpaceX's CRS-9 mission.

International Docking Adapter #2 installation for SpaceX's CRS-9 mission.

International Docking Adapter #2 installation for SpaceX's CRS-9 mission.

International Docking Adapter #2 installation for SpaceX's CRS-9 mission.

iss065e319500 (Aug. 28, 2021) --- Hurricane Ida is pictured as a category 2 storm in this near bird's-eye view from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above the Gulf of Mexico.

iss065e327057 (Aug. 29, 2021) --- Hurricane Ida is pictured as a category 4 storm nearing the southeast Louisiana coast from the International Space Station. In the foreground, is the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter attached to the Unity module.

ISS048e041836 (07/20/2016) --- NASA astronauts Kate Rubins (left) and Jeff Williams (right) prepare to grapple the SpaceX Dragon supply spacecraft from aboard the International Space Station. The nearly 5,000 pounds of supplies and equipment includes science supplies and hardware, including instruments to perform the first-ever DNA sequencing in space, and the first of two identical international docking adapters (IDA.) The IDAs will provide a means for commercial crew spacecraft to dock to the station in the near future as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Dragon is scheduled to depart the space station Aug. 29 when it will return critical science research back to Earth.

iss060e043194 (Aug. 21, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan waves as he is photographed during a spacewalk to install the International Space Station’s second commercial crew vehicle docking port, the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3).

iss060e043180 (Aug. 21, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Nick Hague takes an out-of-this-world "space-selfie" during a spacewalk to install the International Space Station’s second commercial crew vehicle docking port, the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3).

iss065e319494 (Aug. 28, 2021) --- Hurricane Ida is pictured as a category 2 storm from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above the Gulf of Mexico. In the foreground, is the Canadarm2 robotic arm with Dextre, the fine-tuned robotic hand, attached.

iss060e043273 (Aug. 21, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Nick Hague is pictured tethered to the forward end of the International Space Station during a spacewalk to install the orbiting lab's second commercial crew vehicle docking port, the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3).

iss065e319503 (Aug. 28, 2021) --- Hurricane Ida is pictured as a category 2 storm from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above the Gulf of Mexico. At left, from top to bottom, are the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module, the Soyuz MS-18 crew ship and the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter.

iss065e319769 (Aug. 28, 2021) --- Hurricane Ida is pictured as a category 2 storm from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above the Gulf of Mexico. At upper left, is the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module docked to the Earth-facing port of the Zvezda service module.

Line drawing charts the Galileo spacecraft's launch from low Earth orbit and its three planetary and two asteroid encounters in the course of its gravity-assisted flight to Jupiter. These encounters include Venus (February 1990), two Earth passes (December 1990 and December 1992), and the asteroids Gaspra and Ida in the asteroid belt. Galileo will release a probe and will arrive at Jupiter, 12-07-95.

S129-E-007318 (21 Nov. 2009) --- This scene of the Bahamas’ Andros Island and the Tongue of the Ocean was captured by one of the STS-129 crew members aboard the space shuttle Atlantis during flight day six activities. This scene from Earth orbit appears much more peaceful than earlier in the month, when Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida was not only threatening but seriously affecting several areas in several oceans. The dark blue area, aptly named "Tongue of the Ocean", is characterized by water depths as great as 3000 meters (almost two miles). The Atlantic Ocean just east of Eleuthra Island is nearly 5000 meters deep. By comparison, the waters of the Bahama Platform are less than 15 meters deep.

S129-E-007317 (21 Nov. 2009) --- This scene of the Bahamas’ Andros Island and the Tongue of the Ocean was captured by one of the STS-129 crewmembers aboard the space shuttle Atlantis during flight day six activities. This scene from Earth orbit appears much more peaceful than earlier in the month, when Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida was not only threatening but seriously affecting several areas in several oceans. The dark blue area, aptly named "Tongue of the Ocean", is characterized by water depths as great as 3000 meters (almost two miles). The Atlantic Ocean just east of Eleuthra Island is nearly 5000 meters deep. By comparison, the waters of the Bahama Platform are less than 15 meters deep.

An oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico following Hurricane Ida – a high-end Category 4 when it made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, on Aug. 29, 2021 – appears as a green trail in the inset false-color graphic provided by NASA's Delta-X project, while the surrounding seawater appears orange. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regularly monitors U.S. coastal waters for potential spills and noticed slicks that appeared just off the coast after the hurricane. They were able to use this information from Delta-X to corroborate other data they had about oil slicks in the area (satellite image in the second inset picture). The blue-green swath crossing from the Gulf of Mexico over the Louisiana coast denotes the flight path of the Delta-X radar instrument on Sept. 1, just before 11:30 a.m. CDT. Charged with studying the Mississippi River Delta, Delta-X was gearing up to collect data on Louisiana's coastal wetlands when Hurricane Ida barreled ashore in late August. The storm damaged buildings and infrastructure alike, resulting in power outages, flooding, and oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil tends to smooth out the bumps on the ocean's surface, which results in a distinct radar signal that the Delta-X mission was able to pick out of their data. Delta-X added flight paths to their planned schedule – with the support of NASA's Applied Science Disaster Program – in order to collect information over the gulf in areas of interest to NOAA. Delta-X is studying two wetlands – the Atchafalaya and Terrebonne Basins – by land, boat, and air to quantify water and sediment flow as well as vegetation growth. While the Atchafalaya Basin has been gaining land through sediment accumulation, Terrebonne Basin, which is right next to the Atchafalaya, has been rapidly losing land. The data collected by the project will be applied to models used to forecast which areas of the delta are likely to gain or lose land under various sea level rise, river flow, and watershed management scenarios. The mission uses several instruments to collect its data. Affixed to the bottom of a Gulfstream-III airplane, one of those instruments, the all-weather Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), bounces radar signals off of Earth's surface, forming a kind of image of a particular area. Repeated images of the same regions, captured at different times, enable researchers to detect changes in those areas, such as fluctuating water levels beneath the vegetation as the tides move in and out of these wetlands. In addition to radar measurements, teams from Caltech, Louisiana State University, Florida International University, and other collaborating institutions gather water and vegetation samples – among other data – by boat, other airborne sensors, and from instruments on the ground. Funded by NASA's Earth Venture Suborbital (EVS-3) program, Delta-X is managed by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA. Fall 2021 was Delta-X's last scheduled field campaign, although the five-year mission will run through the end of 2023. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24540

This view in the southern constellation Carina was acquired on December 13, 2007 as part of the characterization tests of the Framing Camera. The cluster of stars in the center is NGC 3532, and the nebula in the lower right is the Eta Carina Nebula.

A star field in the constellation Cepheus is a composite of two 600-second exposures by the Framing Camera acquired during tests on December 3, 2007.

Each image on this High Resolution Stereo Camera Image Composite HRSC mosaic is of the same location observed by Dawn Framing Camera when it flew by Mars to complete the spacecraft gravity assist maneuver on February 17, 2009.

These composite images from NASA Dawn spacecraft show three views of a terrain with ridges and grooves near Aquilia crater in the southern hemisphere of the giant asteroid Vesta.

The terrain model of Vesta southern hemisphere shows a big circular structure, its rim rising above the interior of the structure. This false-color map of the giant asteroid Vesta is from the framing camera aboard NASA Dawn spacecraft.

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft is centered on a small, young, fresh crater with bright and dark ejecta rays extending from it. The crater is located in Vesta Tuccia quadrangle on asteroid Vesta.

In this image, dwarf planet Ceres is seen on Feb. 4, 2015, from a distance of about 90,000 miles 145,000 kilometers. NASA Dawn spacecraft is due to arrive at Ceres on March 6, 2015. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19181

The north pole of Ceres can be seen in this image taken on June 9, 2015 by NASA Dawn spacecraft, shows dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles 4,400 kilometers with a resolution of 1,400 feet 410 meters per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19581

This view of Ceres from NASA Dawn spacecraft, taken on May 29, 2016, features a small crater at upper left that adjoins Messor Crater. Dawn took this image on May 29, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface. The image resolution is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20924

In this closest-yet view of Ceres, the brightest spots within a crater in the northern hemisphere are revealed to be composed of many smaller spots. This frame is from an animation of sequences taken by NASA Dawn spacecraft on May 4, 2015. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19547

Ceres' lonely mountain, Ahuna Mons, is seen in this simulated perspective view. The elevation has been exaggerated by a factor of two. The view was made using enhanced-color images from NASA's Dawn mission. Images taken using blue (440 nanometers), green (750 nanometers) and infrared (960 nanometers) spectral filters were combined to create the view. The spacecraft's framing camera took the images from Dawn's low-altitude mapping orbit, from an altitude of 240 miles (385 kilometers) in August 2016. The resolution of the component images is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20915

This image of the region between Urvara Crater's eastern rim and Yalode Crater's western rim was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 20, 2018 from an altitude of about 1070 miles (1720 kilometers). The center of this picture is located at about 54 degrees south in latitude and 272 degrees east in longitude. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22516

These images from NASA Dawn spacecraft show part of asteroid Vesta equatorial region, which contains impact craters and troughs linear depressions.

These images from NASA Dawn spacecraft, located in asteroid Vesta Oppia quadrangle, in Vesta northern hemisphere, demonstrate a special analytical technique, which results in shadowed areas of Vesta surface becoming illuminated.

These images from NASA Dawn spacecraft show part of asteroid Vesta equatorial region, which contains many different sizes of impact craters.

This image of a small boulder on Ceres was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 10, 2018 from an altitude of about 24 miles (38 kilometers). https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22530

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft of asteroid Vesta shows Laelia crater and Sextilia crater, located in Vesta Sextilia quadrangle, in Vesta southern hemisphere.

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft of asteroid Vesta shows Rubria crater, with dark and bright material, offset from the center of the image. Rubria crater is located in Vesta Gegania quadrangle, just south of Vesta equator.

From about three times the distance from Earth to the moon, NASA's Dawn spacecraft spies its final destination -- the dwarf planet Ceres. The resolution of this image does not yet exceed the best views of Ceres, which were obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope (see PIA10235). Nonetheless, Ceres' spherical shape is clearly revealed here. Sunlight illuminates the dwarf planet from the right, leaving a sliver of the surface in shadow at left. A zoomed-in view is provided in Figure 1, along with the original unmagnified, uncropped view. The image was taken on Dec. 1, 2014 with the Dawn spacecraft's framing camera, using a clear spectral filter. Dawn was about 740,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from Ceres at the time. Ceres is 590 miles (950 kilometers) across and was discovered in 1801. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19049

This image obtained by the framing camera on NASA Dawn spacecraft shows the south pole of the giant asteroid Vesta. Scientists are discussing whether the circular structure that covers most of this image originated by a collision with another asteroid.

These composite images from NASA Dawn spacecraft images show the spectacular spectral diversity of asteroid Vesta surface.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers). The image, with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel, was taken on June 25, 2015. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19596

This still from an animation made from data obtained by NASA Dawn spacecraft shows the topography of a portion of the wall and interior of the Rheasilvia impact basin in asteroid Vesta south-polar region.

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft shows a part of asteroid Vesta surface that is covered by heavily cratered regolith. Regolith is the fine-grained material that covers most of Vesta surface.

This artist's concept shows a diagram of how the inside of Ceres could be structured, based on data about the dwarf planet's gravity field from NASA's Dawn mission. Using information about Ceres' gravity and topography, scientists found that Ceres is "differentiated," which means that it has compositionally distinct layers at different depths. The densest layer is at the core, which scientists suspect is made of hydrated silicates. Above that is a volatile-rich shell, topped with a crust of mixed materials. This research teaches scientists about what internal processes could have occurred during the early history of Ceres. It appears that, during a heating phase early in the history of Ceres, water and other light materials partially separated from rock. These light materials and water then rose to the outer layer of Ceres. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20867

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft of asteroid Vesta shows a long chain of craters in the right part of the image, located in Vesta Caparronia quadrangle, in Vesta northern hemisphere.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the edge of Ezinu Crater on Ceres. The image is centered at 36 degrees north latitude, 193 degrees east longitude. Dawn took this image on June 10, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface. The image resolution is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20962

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft shows many large subdued craters that have smaller, younger craters on top of them on asteroid Vesta. There are two large subdued craters in the center of the image, which have very degraded and rounded rims.

This image, taken by NASA Dawn spacecraft on Sept. 20, 2015, shows a portion of the northern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 915 miles 1,470 kilometers, and has a resolution of 450 feet 140 meters per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19979

The surface of Ceres is covered with craters of many shapes and sizes, as seen in this frame from an animation of a map of the dwarf planet surface as seen by NASA Dawn spacecraft on Feb. 19, 2015.

This detail of NASA Dawn spacecraft framing camera image shows low sun angles and large shadows on asteroid Vesta.

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft features a relatively fresh crater on Ceres with prominent spurs of compacted material and gullies along its rim. Boulders of a variety of sizes litter the crater floor and the area around its rim.

NASA Dawn spacecraft captured this view of a region in the mid-southern latitudes of Ceres. The largest crater in the scene is Fluusa. Fluusa has a densely cratered floor and therefore is interpreted as an old impact feature.

This view from NASA Dawn spacecraft shows part of the crater named Sekhet on Ceres. Prominent shadows within the crater highlight Sekhet central peak and mounds of material that have slumped downward from its walls.

These images from NASA Dawn spacecraft are located in asteroid Vesta Tuccia quadrangle, in Vesta southern hemisphere.

This view of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a fresh impact crater with a flat floor. The crater is surrounded by smooth, flow-like ejecta that covers adjacent older impact craters. The crater is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) in diameter. The image was taken Oct. 9, 2015, from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). It has a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel. The image is located at 31 degrees south latitude, 176 degrees east longitude. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20124

This image was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June, 16 2018 from an altitude of about 24 miles (39 kilometers). NASA announced the conclusion of Dawn's mission operations was Oct. 31, 2018, when the spacecraft depleted its hydrazine. The center of this feature is located at about 16.1 degrees north latitude and 242.8 degrees east longitude. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22982

NASA Dawn spacecraft captured this image on Dec. 18, 2015 of unnamed craters near the equator of Ceres. The image is centered at approximately 4 degrees south latitude, 350 degrees east longitude. Dawn took this image on Dec. 18, 2015, from its low-altitude mapping orbit (LAMO), at an approximate altitude of 240 miles (385 kilometers) above Ceres. The image resolution is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20296

This image, taken by NASA Dawn spacecraft, shows a portion of the southern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 915 miles 1,470 kilometers. The image was taken on Sept. 21, 2015, and has a resolution of 450 feet 140 meters per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19985

A cluster of bright areas in Ceres Occator Crater are seen in this image from NASA Dawn spacecraft. These areas are not as bright as the material at the center of the crater. Dawn took this image on June 16, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface. The image resolution is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20831

Tupo Crater, named for the Polynesian god of turmeric, is shown at upper left in this view of Ceres from NASA Dawn spacecraft. Just below the crater, a line of narrow troughs parallels the rim of Tupo.

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft shows a detailed view of three craters, informally nicknamed Snowman by the camera team members.

These images from NASA Dawn spacecraft are located in asteroid Vesta Gegania quadrangle, just south of Vesta equator. Rubria, with dark and bright material is above Divalia Fossa, and Occia, with bright and dark material is below.

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft is located in Lucaria Tholus quadrangle, in Vesta northern hemisphere. Around Publicia rim are many alternating streaks of bright and dark material tumbling down towards its center.

This view from NASA Dawn spacecraft, taken on Oct. 17, 2015, from an altitude of 915 miles 1,470 kilometers, shows southern mid-latitudes on Ceres, including a relatively fresh crater near upper left. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20137

NASA Dawn spacecraft shows Azacca Crater has a prominent set of north-south trending fractures. Its floor is relatively smooth and its rim has terraces descending toward its floor. Azacca was named for the Haitian god of agriculture.

The inset perspective view from NASA Dawn space of Ceres bright spot Occator Crator is overlaid with data concerning the composition. Red signifies a high abundance of carbonates, while gray indicates a low carbonate abundance. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20694

This image shows the eastern part of a feature called Nar Sulcus in Yalode Crater on dwarf planet Ceres, as seen by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. The term "sulcus" (plural: sulci) describes terrain with long, parallel fractures. Sulci are very common on icy moons -- for example, at the south pole of Enceladus, as seen in PIA11686. Nar Sulcus, 31 miles (50 kilometer) long, is the only feature of its kind identified on Ceres. It may point to an episode of tectonic deformation resulting from the evolution of the crater, which is the second largest on Ceres. The impact that formed Yalode heated Ceres' mixture of ice, rock and salt, perhaps causing a large volume to melt. When this material subsequently refroze, it would expand (just as water does when it turns to ice in your freezer). That may have created stresses that fractured the ground, forming Nar Sulcus. The name "Nar Sulcus" refers to the Azerbaijani festival of the pomegranate harvest. That festival is held in October and November in the city of Goychay, center of pomegranate cultivation in Azerbaijan. Dawn took this image on August 15, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface. The image resolution is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21400

This image from NASA Dawn mission shows a crater in the northern hemisphere of the giant asteroid Vesta called Bellicia.

This image of Eutropia AV-L-10, from the atlas of the giant asteroid Vesta, was created from images taken as NASA Dawn mission flew around the object, also known as a protoplanet. The set of maps was created from mosaics of10,000 images from Dawn's framing camera instrument, taken at a low altitude of about 130 miles (210 kilometers). This map is mostly at a scale about that of regional road touring maps, where every inch of map is equivalent to a little more than 3 miles of asteroid (one centimeter equals 2 kilometers). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19514

This photo of Ceres and the bright regions in Occator Crater was one of the last views NASA's Dawn spacecraft transmitted before it depleted its remaining hydrazine and completed its mission. This view, which faces south, was captured on Sept. 1, 2018 at an altitude of 2,340 miles (3,370 kilometers) as the spacecraft was ascending in its elliptical orbit. At its lowest point, the orbit dipped down to only about 22 miles (35 kilometers), which allowed Dawn to acquire very high-resolution images in this final phase of its mission. Some of the close-up images of Occator Crater are shown here. Occator Crater is 57 miles (92 kilometers) across and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep and holds the brightest area on Ceres, Cerealia Facula in its center and Vinalia Faculae in its western side. This region has been the subject of intense interest since Dawn's approach to the dwarf planet in early 2015. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22485

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft features Liber Crater (14 miles, 23 kilometers wide) in Ceres' northern hemisphere, at right. Dawn took this image on June 17, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface. The image resolution is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20863

This graphic shows a theoretical path of a water molecule on Ceres. Some water molecules fall into cold, dark craters at high latitudes called "cold traps," where very little of the ice turns into vapor, even over the course of a billion years. Other water molecules that do not land in cold traps are lost to space as they hop around the dwarf planet. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21083

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the large craters Urvara (top) and Yalode (bottom) on dwarf planet Ceres. These features are so big that they must be observed from high altitudes in order to fit in the frame of a single image. Urvara is (101 miles (163 kilometers) in diameter, while Yalode is 162 miles (260 kilometers) in diameter. The two giant craters were formed at different times. Yalode is almost 1 billion years older than Urvara, which is about 120 million to 140 million years old. Yalode's relatively smooth floor indicates Ceres' crust material became close to -- or even reached -- the melting temperature of ice as a consequence of the heat generated by the impact. On the other hand, the smaller Urvara has rougher terrain. This suggests Urvara had either a lower temperature increase from the impact, or a colder crust temperature at the time of the crater's formation, or a combination of the two. Indeed, Ceres' interior was warmer in the past, and has been slowly cooling as its supply of radioactive isotopes, whose decay represents Ceres' main heat source, has been decreasing over time. This picture also reveals geological details such, as the feature Nar Sulcus inside Yalode and a central peak in Urvara. Urvara is named after the Indian and Iranian deity of plants and fields. Yalode is named for the Dahomey goddess, worshipped by women at the harvest rites. This image was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 9, 2015. The spacecraft was then in its survey orbit (2,700 miles, 4,400 kilometers above the surface), when the footprint of Dawn's framing camera on Ceres' surface was about 260 miles (420 kilometers) across on Ceres' surface. The resolution is 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel. The central coordinates of the picture are 43 degrees south latitude, 278 degrees east in longitude. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21917

This image from NASA Dawn spacecraft shows is located in asteroid Vesta Rheasilvia quadrangle, near Vesta south pole. Severina crater has a fresh, sharp rim and a smaller, presumably younger, crater on its rim.