Astronomy Picture of the Day -- A Landslide on Asteroid Vesta

NASA ^ | November 28, 2011 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: Asteroid Vesta is home to some of the most impressive cliffs in the Solar System. Pictured above near the image center is a very deep cliff running about 20 kilometers from top to bottom. The image was taken by the robotic Dawn spacecraft that began orbiting the 500-kilometer space rock earlier this year. The topography of the scarp and its surroundings indicates that huge landslides may have occurred down this slope. The scarp's origin remains unknown, but parts of the cliff face itself must be quite old as several craters have appeared in it since it was created. Dawn has now finished up its high altitude mapping survey and will spiral down to a lower altitude orbit to better explore the asteroid's gravitational field. During 2012, Dawn is scheduled to blast away from Vesta and begin a long journey to the only asteroid belt object known to be larger: Ceres.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, UCLA, MPS, DLR, IDA]

[SunkenCiv]

This is a *great* closeup, makes me think I'm a character in an Asimov short story.

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[null and void]

During 2012, Dawn is scheduled to blast away from Vesta and begin a long journey to the only asteroid belt object known to be larger: Ceres.

Marooned off Vesta?

And then next it's Huge Ceres?

[GeronL]

is there enough gravity for a landlside?

[null and void]

Yes. A very slow landslide.

[Noob1999]

Where’s Bruce Willis when we need him??

[GeronL]

lol

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Ceres is HUGH!

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Probably large cavities in Vesta and one fell in.

[cicero2k]

2.2% the gravity of earth on the surface. Had to look it up.

A bullet shot 580 mph will go into orbit. A little faster and it is interstellar.

[ApplegateRanch]

A bullet shot 580 mph [850 ft/sec] will go into orbit. A little faster and it is interstellar.

Wonder how much hold over/under & leading I'd have to hold, if I used a 180 grain Power Point 30-06 @ 2700 ft/second, and wanted to try hitting Emperor Cartagia or Londo Morinari...

[Moonman62]

Unmanned space exploration is doing great.

[SaxxonWoods]

That’s fracking awesome...thanks.

[left that other site]

Didn’t Fleetwood Mac write a Ceres Song about that?

[TheOldLady]

It looks like a pile of flour with water-drop craters in it. There must be a solid core in there somewhere, but it does look like a pile of powder.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_velocity#List_of_escape_velocities

[SunkenCiv]

:’) Thanks, all.

[ApplegateRanch]

Sounds like I’d need to pick up some extra velocity, so would have to aim for a Jupiterian parabolic slingshot to a Martian parabolic slingshot to a solar hyperbolic slingshot to Centauri.

Makes aiming at Cartagia much more difficult; I’ll need more range time.

[ixtl]

Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac wrote “Landslide,” the band performed it.

“I could see my relflection in the snow-covered hills,
And the landsclide brought me down......”

[left that other site]

Yes...one of my favorites! :-)