Emily Lakdawalla • June 15, 2007

Nightmare averted on Dawn

A couple of days ago, rumors started circulating that a worker had fallen on one of Dawn's solar panels, damaging it. Those rumors were unfounded, a gross exaggeration of an actual incident. A worker's tool did make accidental contact with the back of one of Dawn's solar panels, leaving a mark; but they'll be able to repair the problem this weekend with no impact on the launch schedule. Phew!

NASA / Orbital Sciences

Ding on the back of Dawn's solar panel

On June 11, during a procedure to prepare the Dawn spacecraft for spin-balance testing, the back of a solar array panel was slightly damaged by a technician's tool. The size of the affected area is about 2.5 inches by 2 inches. The necessary minor repairs will be made during the coming weekend. There is no impact to the launch date of July 7.

Emily Lakdawalla

Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist for The Planetary Society
Read more articles by Emily Lakdawalla

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