Archive - May 8, 2010
New NASA Mission Uses Star Trek Inspired Ion Propulsion
By Captain Pyke | May 8, 2010 - 10:07 pm
"Standard orbit, Mr. Sulu." Captain Kirk barks out the order with such confidence. He knows the USS Enterprise can slip in and out of planetary orbits with ease. But it's only easy in the realm of science fiction. In the real world, such maneuvers have been impossible --until now.
Enter Dawn, NASA's cutting edge mission to the asteroid belt.
Powered with a futuristic sounding new technology called "ion propulsion," this spacecraft will perform space moves rivaling those of the Enterprise.
At this very moment, Dawn is slowly climbing away from the sun, beyond Mars, on its way to its first destination, asteroid Vesta. Dawn will enter "standard orbit" around this rocky world for a year, exploring its mysteries.
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