Fresh material is exposed in a rayed crater on Ceres. Taken on June 6 from 2,700 miles (4,400 km), it has a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel, Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Posted on 06/17/2015 7:03:24 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Most models of Ceres depict a rocky crust, mantle of ice and a rocky inner core. This makes us wonder if the bright material unearthed might be ice. If so, it would gradually vaporize on the virtually air-free dwarf planet.
Dawn will spend through early 2016 at Ceres during its primary mission and then remain in orbit there perpetually. We should be able to cipher the composition of the white material during that time with the spacecraft’s Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector and Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, but a lengthy stay might allow us to see changes in the extent of any ice exposures as they gradually vaporize away.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
It’s ice. This, like the other crater is relatively young. Ice was exposed and ejected by the hit. Older craters have had their ice either sublimated or covered with dust.
That would be my guess. Impacts have exposed ice under the surface.
Ceres could be a future source of water if we ever need it for space travel or colonizing.
It’s a planet-sized diamond.
Looks like old Isaac Asimov was, sadly, wrong on both counts:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_Way
1) The rings of Saturn do not have mountain-size constituents, and
2) There would be no reason to go that far anyway, as the Main Asteroid Belt is much closer.
(In fact, could it be that Phobos or Deimos themselves have a high water content?)
Regards,
(In fact, could it be that Phobos or Deimos themselves have a high water content?)
...
If they do have anything we need they are in a good location, since the gravity and atmosphere of Mars can be used for braking the speed of a spacecraft.
First panel:
Zero: "What are you looking at?"
Beetle (looking through a telescope): "There's a little bright light on the Ceres asteroid."
Second panel:
Beetle: "Nobody knows what it is.
Zero: "Maybe it's the flashlight I lost."
Excellent.
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