WEBVTT

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The Dawn spacecraft is intended to give humanity

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its first up-close look at a pair of compelling asteroids.

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It takes a dedicated and highly skilled team of scientists,  technicians,

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and engineers to make sure the spacecraft and the rocket will do their jobs right.

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I'm Armando Piloto, mission manager for Dawn. As part of NASA's Launch Services Program,

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I lead a dedicated team of professionals whose goal is to boost spacecraft of scientific planetary

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importance into space in the best and most efficient way possible.

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The Dawn mission calls for a Delta II rocket to lift the spacecraft off the ground and literally throw it out of

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Earth's gravitational field. That's a complex task that requires a lot of power, and a lot of thought.

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That's why these missions really start years before launch day,

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with careful planning and precise coordination needed during the entire process.

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For missions such as Dawn that are to leave Earth orbit,

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it is common to use the most robust Delta II available.

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That means three stages with nine supersized, solid-fueled boosters helping the first stage.

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