NASA Details Dawn Mission And Giant Asteroids In New Podcast Episode

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has published its newest 'On A Mission' podcast episode, one titled 'Planet Asteroid' that details two large asteroids called Ceres and Vesta, as well as the tiny planet Pluto (and the debate surrounding it), and more. As with NASA's other podcast shows, 'On A Mission' episodes are free to download across a variety of services, plus NASA provides a transcript of the episode.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, more commonly called JPL, is NASA's research institute focused on the universe around us. Scientists with NASA JPL have created a variety of spacecraft used to conduct space missions, explore other planets and asteroids, and more. As expected, the institute's 'On A Mission' podcast focuses on its work and space in general.

On November 19, NASA published Episode 7 in the second season of 'On A Mission,' this one following two other episodes published this month that detail a metal asteroid called Psyche and a discussion about returning physical samples from asteroids to Earth.

This time around, the public learns about Vesta and Ceres, Pluto, and the Dawn space probe, which was launched in 2007 to study the two large asteroids. NASA officially retired Dawn last year; with this new podcast episode, the public is given interesting details about the mission, including some technical issues and surprises involving the space probe.

The public has multiple ways to experience this podcast and others like it. Those who prefer to speed read can find the full podcast episode transcript on NASA's website here. The audio episode is available to listen to on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, and Google Play. Fans can find links to each NASA JPL podcast episode and transcripts on the institute's website here.