The mission is breaking new ground because of the spacecraft's...

The mission is breaking new ground because of the spacecraft's ion propulsion system. Instead of being propelled by a chemical rocket, the craft is driven by accelerated electrically charged particles of xenon gas which exert a small force over a long period of time, allowing it to build up speed.

Dawn has completed five years of accumulated thrust time, far exceeding that of any other spacecraft.

"Orbiting both Vesta and Ceres would be truly impossible with conventional propulsion," said chief engineer and mission director Marc Rayman, from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

"Thanks to ion propulsion, we're about to make history as the first spaceship ever to orbit two unexplored alien worlds."

The probe recently emerged from solar conjunction, in which it was hidden from Earth on the opposite side of the Sun, limiting communication.

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Imo.this is real space tech frontier stuff----- start moving your backside you science creatures----AND------ Cern is coming back on line after an upgrade,this is all ball breaking good news.