ceres

Depending on where they came from, it may require less Δv to get to Ceres than to Earth.

The surface of Ceres is effectively black, but the image shows it as grey to light grey.

On the second visit he got to use Mesa evolution, Cedar, which was his inspiration for Oberon and the Ceres workstation.

Does Ceres receive enough light for the satellite to see it plain, or is this the result of X-ray vision or something similar?

Ion propulsion is not purely theoretical - the Dawn mission currently entering orbit around Ceres got there under ion propulsion, having previously rendezvoused with Vesta.

If you're a space-travelling human-like species, Ceres is pretty hospitable.

With a different range of values, Ceres would look like a dark dark grey disc, with a lighter grey spot where the very bright spot is visible.

Why would they go to Ceres and not Earth?

I'll take a look at ceres-solver to see how it works.

Dawn has been orbiting Ceres since March!

I suppose that Ceres is an ice ball with a dusty covering you might be able to generate a water volcano with the right conditions, still that is a lot of material to move around.

I'm more than a little disappointed that we haven't got gleaming alien cities in the viewfinder this time, but I guess there's still a chance that Ceres is going to give humanity the boost it needs.

OK, but what in all of that explains shiny spots on Ceres, as asserted in your parent post?

New Horizons about to reach pluto, Dawn about to reach Ceres, and Rosetta orbiting a comet approaching the sun.

Nasa already launched Dawn, an ion drive probe, to visit Vesta and Ceres.