There are three principal scientific drivers for the mission. First, the "Dawn" mission can capture the earliest moments in the origin of the Solar System, granting an insight into the conditions under which these objects formed. Second, "Dawn" determines the nature of the building blocks from which the terrestrial planets formed, improving scientific understanding of this formation. Finally, it contrasts the formation and evolution of two small planets that followed very different evolutionary paths, allowing scientists to determine what factors control that evolution.