What is special about ion engines?

They are very efficient but gentle

What first did Dawn achieve?

Orbiting two worlds beyond Earth

Dawn Mission Quiz: Ion Engines, Vesta and Ceres

This Dawn mission quiz follows NASA's ion-powered explorer to the asteroid belt. Play 10 interactive questions on its 2007 launch, efficient xenon ion engines, orbiting Vesta in 2011 and 2012, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit two worlds beyond Earth, reaching Ceres in 2015, the bright spots in Occator crater, the end of the mission in 2018 and where it remains today.

Start Dawn Mission Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Launch
When did Dawn launch?
Engine
What kind of engines did Dawn use?
Ion
What is special about ion engines?
Vesta
Which large asteroid did Dawn orbit first?
First
What first did Dawn achieve?
Ceres
Which dwarf planet did Dawn reach in 2015?
Spots
Where were Ceres' famous bright spots?
Salt
What are the bright spots made of?
End
When did the mission end?
Now
Where is Dawn today?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: When did Dawn launch?
Answer: 2007
It headed to the asteroid belt.
Q2: What kind of engines did Dawn use?
Answer: Ion engines
They used xenon gas.
Q3: What is special about ion engines?
Answer: They are very efficient but gentle
Thrust builds up over time.
Q4: Which large asteroid did Dawn orbit first?
Answer: Vesta
It stayed from 2011 to 2012.
Q5: What first did Dawn achieve?
Answer: Orbiting two worlds beyond Earth
Ion engines made it possible.
Q6: Which dwarf planet did Dawn reach in 2015?
Answer: Ceres
It became the first to orbit a dwarf planet.
Q7: Where were Ceres' famous bright spots?
Answer: Occator crater
They are salt deposits.
Q8: What are the bright spots made of?
Answer: Salts left by briny water
Brine reached the surface.
Q9: When did the mission end?
Answer: 2018
It ran out of fuel for steering.
Q10: Where is Dawn today?
Answer: Still orbiting Ceres
It will stay for decades.

Ion Power to Two New Worlds

NASA's Dawn mission launched in 2007 to study two of the largest bodies in the asteroid belt. It used ion engines, which accelerate xenon gas with electricity. Their thrust is gentle, but they are very efficient, building up great speed over time.

Dawn orbited the giant asteroid Vesta from 2011 to 2012, then flew on to the dwarf planet Ceres, arriving in 2015. This made it the first spacecraft to orbit two worlds beyond Earth and the first to orbit a dwarf planet, months before New Horizons flew past Pluto.

At Ceres, Dawn found bright spots in Occator crater, which turned out to be salt deposits left by briny water reaching the surface. The mission ended in 2018 when it ran out of fuel for steering, and Dawn still orbits Ceres today.

What This Quiz Teaches

Space fans will enjoy these questions.

When Dawn launched
How ion engines work
Which worlds it orbited
What it found on Ceres
How the mission ended

Did You Know?

Vesta has a huge mountain at its south pole.
Some meteorites come from Vesta.
Ceres may have had a subsurface ocean.
Ahuna Mons was spotted by Dawn.
Ion engines inspire future missions.