Aster › Space program › Vesta
Vesta
Position on the route: 8/45 · level needed 58 · journey (Mk0 engine) 8.8 h
By the numbers
| Diameter | 525 km |
|---|---|
| Gravity | 0.25 m/s² |
| Day | 5.3 hours |
| Year | 3.6 Earth years |
| Composition | basalt crust, differentiated core |
The story
The second-largest body of the asteroid belt and the brightest: the only asteroid visible to the naked eye. It separated into a basalt crust, mantle and iron core like a small planet, so it is called a protoplanet.
About 6 % of meteorites that fall on Earth (the HED group) come from Vesta. Dawn (2011–12) circled it for a year and mapped the Rheasilvia impact basin.
Missions
- Dawn (2011–12): a year in orbit at Vesta, then on to Ceres
- HED meteorites: the pieces of Vesta we hold on Earth
Colony note
A mining outpost: iron, nickel and traces of platinum-group metals. Gravity is very weak, and digging needs special vehicles.
What probes bring back
- HED meteorites come from Vesta: a ‘protoplanet’ that separated into crust, mantle and core.
- The Rheasilvia basin is 500 km across: 1 % of Vesta’s volume was thrown out.