Mapping the elemental composition of Ceres and Vesta: Dawn's gamma ray and neutron detector

摘要

Dawn is a NASA discovery mission that will explore the main belt asteroids (1) Ceres and (4) Vesta. Ceres and Vesta are among the oldest bodies in the solar system and represent very different evolutionary paths. By studying these ancient, complementary asteroids, we will answer fundamental questions about the early solar system and planetary formation processes. The Dawn payload consists of a Framing Camera (FC), a visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR), and a Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND). The instruments provide data needed to investigate the structure, geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of the asteroids. GRaND provides the data for the geochemistry investigation, including maps of most major elements and selected radioactive and trace elements. An updated description of the GRaND instrument is given along with the expected performance of GRaND at Vesta and Ceres. Approaches to combine data from FC, VIR and GRaND are discussed.