“We’re thrilled to release Vesta Trek to the citizen science community and the public, not only as a scientific tool, but as a portal to an immersive experience that, just by the nature of it, will allow a deeper understanding of Vesta and asteroids in general,” said Dr Kristen Erickson of NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Dawn is a space probe launched by NASA in September 2007 with the mission of studying the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres – celestial bodies believed to have accreted early in the history of the Solar System.

The spacecraft studied Vesta from July 2011 to September 2012.

Data gathered from multiple instruments aboard Dawn have been compiled into Vesta Trek’s user-friendly set of tools, enabling citizen scientists and students to study the asteroid’s features.

The application includes:

(i) interactive maps, including the ability to overlay a growing range of data sets including topography, mineralogy, abundance of elements and geology, as well as analysis tools for measuring the diameters, heights and depths of surface features and more;

(ii) 3-D printer-exportable topography;

(iii) standard keyboard gaming controls to maneuver a first-person visualization of flying across the surface of the asteroid.

Dawn is continuing its exploration in the asteroid belt, after arriving at the dwarf planet Ceres on March 6, 2015.