US spacecraft enters giant asteroid's orbit

US spacecraft enters giant asteroid's orbit
Washington (AFP) July 17, 2011 - The US spacecraft Dawn has entered the orbit of Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, the US space agency announced early Sunday. Dawn is expected to come within 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) of Vesta to study its surface while traveling 116 million miles (188 million kilometers) from Earth. "It has taken nearly four years to get to this point," said Robert Mase, m ... more