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The NASA Dawn mission, launched in 2007, aimed to visit two of the
most massive protoplanets of the main asteroid belt: Vesta and
Ceres. The aim was to further our understanding of the earliest
days of the Solar System, and compare the two bodies to better
understand their formation and evolution. This book summarises
state-of-the-art results from the mission, and discusses the
implications for our understanding not only of the asteroid belt
but the entire Solar System. It comprises of three parts: Part 1
provides an overview of the main belt asteroids and provides an
introduction to the Dawn mission; Part 2 presents key findings from
the mission; and Part 3 discusses how these findings provide
insights into the formation and evolution of the Solar System. This
is a definitive reference for academic researchers and
professionals of planetary science, asteroid science and space
exploration.
Simone Marchi presents the emerging story of how cosmic collisions
shaped both the solar system and our own planet, from the creation
of the Moon to influencing the evolution of life on Earth. The
Earth emerged out of the upheaval and chaos of massive collisions
in the infancy of the Solar System, more than four billion years
ago. The largest of these events sent into orbit a spray of molten
rocks out of which the Moon coalesced. As in ancient mythological
tales, this giant catastrophe marks the birth of our planet as we
know it. Space exploration has shown that signs of ancient
collisions are widespread in the Solar System, from the barren and
once-habitable Mars to the rugged asteroids. On Earth these signs
are more subtle, but still cataclysmic, such as the massive
asteroid strike which likely sparked the demise of the dinosaurs
and many other forms of life some 66 million years ago. Signatures
of even more dramatic catastrophes are concealed in ancient rocks.
These events wreaked havoc on our planet's surface, influencing
global climate and topography, while also enriching the Earth with
gold and other rare elements. And recently, modern science is
finding that they could even have contributed to developing the
conditions conducive to life. In Colliding Worlds, Simone Marchi
explores the key role that collisions in space have played in the
formation and evolution of our solar system, the development of
planets, and possibly even the origin of life on Earth. Analysing
our latest understanding of the surfaces of Mars and Venus, gleaned
from recent space missions, Marchi presents the dramatic story of
cosmic collisions and their legacies.
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