Vesta Trek the NASA tool to navigate in 3D the Asteroid

NASA has launched a new section of its website to host the application Vesta Trek, which aims to provide a detailed view of the giant asteroid Vesta. The application works in browsers allowing anyone to explore Vesta in detail thanks to its interactive maps. Among the tools, there is also one that allows you to export topographic elements to recreate a 3D printing file of Vesta.

If you want to know everything about Vesta and the other Ephemeris asteroids I advice you this comprehensive book: The Asteroid Ephemeris 1900 to 2050: Ceres Pallas Juno Vesta, Chrion & the Black Moon Lilith

The giant asteroid Vesta is now widely known thanks to the fact that the space probe Dawn has studied orbiting it for over a year between July 2011 and September 2012. In November 2014 were even published geological maps of Vesta who revealed details never seen before featuring its surface.

If this is not enough, now you can make a virtual tour of Vesta on your browser thanks to Vesta Trek. It was developed by the Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project (LMMP) of NASA, which provides analysis and data visualization tools for lunar missions to scientists. Vesta Trek is the first application of the team of LMMP beyond the Moon.

When the application Vesta Trek is activated, the user is asked if he wants to take a tour of the available features. It is a help for those who do not know Vesta yet, and includes a series of short explanations of the tools and various applications of Vesta Trek.

This application can be useful for researchers who want to analyze the information collected by the space probe Dawn of Vesta but also to amateurs who want to know more. So this is a scientific instrument and at the same time as an interactive experience to move on the surface of this giant asteroid.

Among the tools available in Vesta Trek there is one that allows you to export topographic features to play with a 3D printer. You can select the area to recreate, by a single element to the entire asteroid.

Vesta Trek is an advanced tool that uses Internet technologies to help research and even science. If you want to know everything about Vesta and the other Ephemeris asteroids I advice you this comprehensive book: The Asteroid Ephemeris 1900 to 2050: Ceres Pallas Juno Vesta, Chrion & the Black Moon Lilith