New Horizons Mission to Pluto

[jpf]

Fastest man made machine in earth's history. Faster than a Veyron. Styled like a piano. Nuclear powered.

Any PHers following the mission and as it gets ready for the July 14 close approach?

[Eric Mc]

Been following it since was launched in 2006. Obviously, for most of its long journey it's not had much to do except to phone home every so often to let the controllers that all is OK with its systems.

Latest images showing definite markings.



My guess all along is that I think it might resemble very closely Triton, one of Neptune's moons -

[scubadude]

Not to nit pick but Voyager and the Helios probes particularly (157000mph!) are/did go considerably faster than New Horizons... but I agree its going at a fair whack :-)

Major finger crossing exercise will be required for the flypast, its got to do alot during a short space of time, and we won't know if its worked for hours afterwards, we won't get some of the results for days and even months later!

Has its post fly past targets been announced yet?

[Eric Mc]

I think the record New Horizons has is the speed at which it was launched from earth. It was fairly motoring along after launch. I think it passed our moon after only a few hours flight time. The Apollos took three days to get to the moon.

The Voyagers and Helios will have picked up their additional speeds from various gravity assists they have received over their decades in space.

[Einion Yrth]

Eric Mc said:

I think the record New Horizons has is the speed at which it was launched from earth. It was fairly motoring along after launch. I think it passed our moon after only a few hours flight time. The Apollos took three days to get to the moon.

In no small measure because they wanted to stop there.

[Eric Mc]

That is a valid point - no doubt about it.

MOST probes going to the moon take a couple of days - for that very reason.

However, most probes on their way to other planets do not shoot past the moon's orbit in a few hours. They take at least a day. New Horizons was definitely the quickest probe to depart the earth.

[jmorgan]

Don't know how many thread are on this. There was one for the launch in 2006.

Anywhoo. Getting more detail.
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.p...

[Eric Mc]

Certainly a reddish/pinkish hue there.

[jmorgan]

Nice little animation on the front page now. Like two little Mars in a nice orbital dance
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu

[Eric Mc]

Pinkier and pinkier by the minute

[FunkyNige]

Seems it went into (and out of) safe mode yesterday, not want you want a couple of weeks before the important part of the mission!

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/20...

[jmorgan]

Ouch. Long time round trip as well when the doctors asks the patient as to what is troubling it.

[Eric Mc]

Looks like they know what the problem was and will have it fixed by tomorrow -

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasas-new-hor...

[MartG]

Eric Mc said:

Looks like they know what the problem was and will have it fixed by tomorrow -

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasas-new-hor...

I hate how that article describes the spacecraft as being 'piano-sized' - what kind of piano ? There's a big difference between a small electric piano, and upright, or a concert grand ! Why don't they just give its size in metres or feet ?

[Einion Yrth]

MartG said:

I hate how that article describes the spacecraft as being 'piano-sized' - what kind of piano ?

A baby grand, it's much he same shape too.

[MartG]

Interesting article on a proposed Pluto Orbiter

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2778/1

[Eric Mc]

New Horizons is up and running and ready to start running its scientific observations again.

[scubadude]

ash73 said:

I wish they would still think big like that, just think how much more science they would achieve in orbit; and with a couple of landers.

Easier to think Big when you have a bottomless budget (or presidential mandate to get to the moon...)

In reality all the deep space missions are using the same sort of flight hardware, they get better cameras and toys each time but the box and wires haven't progressed much since the 60's.

They need a step change in propulsion before its worthwhile putting more elaborate things on the top, the Dawn mission is a good example- two targets for one craft.
Perhaps what NASA needs some kind of universal nuclear or solar powered tug that lives in constant transit around the solar system dropping probes off and bringing samples back to LEO and collecting more probes?

[jmorgan]

Tantalising.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

Link
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.p...


Edit.

Launch day
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=235...

Edited by jmorgan on Thursday 9th July 06:25

[Eric Mc]

Looking more and more like a sister of the moon Triton - as I half hinted at a while ago.

Thanks for the link to the 2006 thread. Time flies.