DLR Institute of Planetary Research - 07.02.2012 - Small-scale surface variations seen with Dawn’s visible and infrared spectrometer

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07.02.2012 - Small-scale surface variations seen with Dawn’s visible and infrared spectrometer

This image shows a Dawn VIR (visible and infrared spectrometer) image, overlain on top of a FC (framing camera) image of the same region. The VIR image was acquired during the HAMO (high-altitude mapping orbit) phase of the Dawn mission and the FC image was acquired during the Survey phase of the mission. The small-scale brightness and darkness variations in this image demonstrate VIR’s ability to detect small-scale features on Vesta’s surface. The composition of these various features can then be analyzed. VIR data have shown that, in general, Vesta has a basaltic surface and that two prominent pyroxene absorption bands dominate Vesta’s spectrum.

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