Wednesday,  September 5, 2012 • Vol. 13--No. 052 • 27 of 38 •  Other Editions

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neurs wants to mine precious metals from near-Earth asteroids.
• After racking up 1.7 billion miles journeying to Vesta, Dawn has another 930 million miles to reach Ceres, where it will arrive in early 2015.
• Such a trip is possible because of Dawn's futuristic ion propulsion engines, which provide gentle yet constant acceleration. Once confined to science fiction, the technology has been tested in space and is more efficient than conventional rocket fuel that powers most spacecraft.
• Scientists expect a different world at Ceres. Unlike the rocky, pockmarked Vesta, the nearly spherical Ceres has a dusty surface with an icy interior. Some think it may even have frost-covered poles.

  • "Almost everything we see at Ceres will be a surprise and totally different from Vesta," Russell said.

First lady's message: Obama is just like you
JULIE PACE,Associated Press

• CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Michelle Obama's message: President Barack Obama is just like you.
• "Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it," the first lady told the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday in an address intended to reassure voters that her husband shares their values -- hard work, perseverance and optimism -- while also drawing a contrast between him and Mitt Romney.
• Mrs. Obama never mentioned the president's Republican challenger, who grew

up in a world of privilege and wealth.
• But the point was clear as she wove a tapestry of their early years together, when money was tight and times were tough, when they were "so in love, and so in debt." She reminisced about the man who now occupies the Oval Office pulling his favorite coffee table out of the trash and wearing dress shoes that were half a size too small. And she told stories about a president who still takes time to eat dinner with his daughters nearly every night, answering their questions about the news and strategizing about middle-school friendships.
• With a mix of personal anecdotes and policy talk, Mrs. Obama's speech was her most political yet.
• "Today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesn't change who you are -- it reveals who you are," she said.
• To that end, the first lady painted a portrait of a leader who knows the struggles

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