On December 12, Dawn maneuvered into its closest orbit yet around giant asteroid Vesta. The spacecraft is now circling Vesta at an altitude of about 130 miles. Since NASA's spacecraft dawn snapped into orbit around the object, it has been snapping pictures of the asteroid's rugged surface and beaming them back to Earth.
On December 12, Dawn maneuvered into its closest orbit yet around giant asteroid Vesta. The spacecraft is now circling Vesta at an altitude of about 130 miles. Since NASA's spacecraft dawn snapped into orbit around the object, it has been snapping pictures of the asteroid's rugged surface and beaming them back to Earth.