New Horizons Mission Update Thread (Part Two)

3488 · Jun 1, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Coming up on June 8th, New Horizons passses the orbit of Saturn.It is 10.00 AU from the sun today! Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV>Important milestone indeed, 10 AU, & crossing the orbit of Saturn one week today. New Horizons will be only the sixth craft to come this far & the fifth to pass this point outwards, the first since Voyager 2.Worth noting that sunlight here is only 1% as strong as from Earth or only 13.2 watts per square metre.Thanks Wayne for the reminder.View of Sun from New Horizons. Sunday 1st June 2008 @ 17:30 UTC. Sun almost on Taurus - Gemini boundary.http://www.photodump.com/Anonymous/wspace.html <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/3/9/d39cf3c8-47f1-4f57-89dc-daee6c89fcad.Medium.jpg" alt="" />Saturn from New Horizons. Sunday 1st June 2008 @ 17:30 UTC. On border of Gemini & Cancer.http://www.photodump.com/Anonymous/wspace%202.html <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/3/8/130f78e4-d562-4ae7-98b7-d36ed693692e.Medium.jpg" alt="" />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

MeteorWayne · Jun 1, 2008

I knew you'd appreciate it, Andrew, my friend <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

3488 · Jun 1, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I knew you'd appreciate it, Andrew, my friend Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV>I do Wayne, very much. New Horizons was one of the three missions with who's campaigns I think, I helped get out of the cancellation bin (Phoenix & DAWN being the other two). Like most others & quite understandable too, got sucked in with Phoenix & also now to a certain extent STS 124, but am keeping a watch on MESSENGER & the MERs, though there's not too much happening right now with them, though activity will increase once again for them.New Horizons really is just passing the time away in hibernation. A good job for the LORRI would be to image Saturn, maybe only a few pixels across from 2.3 billion KM, but would be a good inflight test IMO.Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

MeteorWayne · Jun 1, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> A good job for the LORRI would be to image Saturn, maybe only a few pixels across from 2.3 billion KM, but would be a good inflight test IMO.Andrew Brown. Posted by 3488</DIV> Yes, but nap time is very important  on a mission this long in order to achieve the end objective....Only 7 years, 1 month, and 13 days to go (It's Ann's Birthday when NH passes Pluto) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

3488 · Jun 1, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Yes, but nap time is very important  on a mission this long in order to achieve the end objective....Only 7 years, 1 month, and 13 days to go (It's Ann's Birthday when NH passes Pluto) Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV>Wow what a co-incidence. One way to remember Ann's birthday, lets just hope all goes well that day. Cannot see why not, New Horizons is performing excellently. I was just mulling over a thought about a possible distant Saturn image with LORRI, but yes, you are correct, New Horizons needs a lot of downtime in the interum.My birthday shares those of the launches of Pioneer 11 & the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The time to the Pluto system encounter is whittling down noticeably, did not seem that long ago, it was over 9 years till Pluto day, now its only just over 7 years. That's less then double the time the MERs have been operational on Mars.This is a great mission & like Phoenix now, we will really learn a great deal about a real unvisited location in tremendous detail.Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

jmilsom · Jun 9, 2008

As foretold above, on 8 June, zippy NH1 passed the orbit of Saturn. Amazing how quickly it has reached this milestone!Full Report Here: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/news_center/news/060808.htm <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

MeteorWayne · Jun 11, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>As foretold above, on 8 June, zippy NH1 passed the orbit of Saturn. Amazing how quickly it has reached this milestone!Full Report Here: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/news_center/news/060808.htm Posted by jmilsom</DIV> Go baby go!! (ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz) <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

brandbll · Jun 16, 2008

[dQUOTE]My birthday shares those of the launches of Pioneer 11 & the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Posted by 3488[/QUOTE] Consider yourself lucky, my birthday marks the day the Titanic left port...<img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-frown.gif" border="0" alt="Frown" title="Frown" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard! </div>

Swampcat · Jun 16, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Consider yourself lucky, my birthday marks the day the Titanic left port... Posted by brandbll</DIV> Mine marks the bombing of Hiroshima. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> ------------------------------------------------------------------- "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."Thomas Jefferson </div>

MeteorWayne · Jul 14, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Mine marks the bombing of Hiroshima. Posted by Swampcat</DIV> 7 Years to New Horizon's pass through the Pluto system.Happy Birthday Ann! <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/14/15/4edaa33b-babb-48b1-9f80-d1462b4a8dc6.Medium.jpg" alt="" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

jmilsom · Jul 29, 2008

Alan Stern has posted quite a comprehensive update this month that covers: NH1 position; a software glitch that caused it to transmit an emergency beacon last month; how this was remedied; August flight plan; planning for the next ACO (Annual Checkout); and, a review of two recently published journal articles on Pluto. The first is a recalibration and analysis of Pluto images form the 1930s through to the 1950s that shows, Pluto's surface features changed significantly during that time - indicating changes in surface frost deposits due to seasonal fluctuations and / or distance from the sun. The second is an exercise in computer modelling that looks at the possibility of Charon's gravity capturing some fo Pluto's escaping atmosphere. This may create a tenuous atmosphere around Charon and may be useful to help measure the escape rate from Pluto - as Alan Stern points out, this can be tested by NH1 Full report here: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/overview/piPerspectives/piPerspective_current.phpMission elapsed time: Days 922 Hours 04 Minutes 26 Time since Jupiter closest approach Days 517 Hours 17 Minutes 43 Pluto closest approach!!!! Days 2540 Hours 12 Minutes 31 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Jeters_Boy · Aug 2, 2008

Layman questions here:  how close will New Horizons be to Pluto at its closest?  How detailed will the photos be? What do we expect the photos to look like relative to other planets/moons?  Where will New Horizons go after it passes Pluto? Thanks! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Now batting, shortstop Derek Jeter </div>

3488 · Aug 2, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Layman questions here:  how close will New Horizons be to Pluto at its closest?  How detailed will the photos be? What do we expect the photos to look like relative to other planets/moons?  Where will New Horizons go after it passes Pluto? Thanks! Posted by Jeters_Boy</DIV>Hi Jeters_Boy.Welcome to SDC. Passage of New Horizons through the Pluto system. Closest approach to Pluto will be 10,000 KM / 6,200 Miles, sharpest images will have a resolution of 45 metres / 147 feet per pixel.Closest approach to Charon will be 27,000 KM / 16,800 Miles, sharpest images will have a resolution of 100 metres / 328 feet per pixel.These images will be quite close in quality to some of the better ones returned by Galileo of some of the Jupiter moons & Cassini of some of the Saturn moons.They will not match the very best, but will be more than sharp enough to reveal the geological natures of both Pluto & Charon. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

h2ouniverse · Aug 5, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Where will New Horizons go after it passes Pluto? Thanks! Posted by Jeters_Boy</DIV> Hi Jeters,For the post-Pluto part of your question: they do not know yet. Pluto is currently in front of the Milky Way. In these directions, transneptunian objects have not been detected yet, not because there is none but because the star-saturated background prevents current detection methods from spotting TNOs. By 2012 the potential post-Pluto targets will exit the dense star fields and be spot-able.Go there: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/lists/OuterPlot.html and you will see the void in the Kuiper Belt at the bottom of the image. This is towards Scorpio/Sagittarius. Pluto is the white cross on tthe diagram at 6 o'clock.If clyde Tombaugh had searched for Pluto today he would have missed it...Best regards.

brandbll · Aug 5, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Hi Jeters_Boy.Welcome to SDC. Passage of New Horizons through the Pluto system. Closest approach to Pluto will be 10,000 KM / 6,200 Miles, sharpest images will have a resolution of 45 metres / 147 feet per pixel.Closest approach to Charon will be 27,000 KM / 16,800 Miles, sharpest images will have a resolution of 100 metres / 328 feet per pixel.These images will be quite close in quality to some of the better ones returned by Galileo of some of the Jupiter moons & Cassini of some of the Saturn moons.They will not match the very best, but will be more than sharp enough to reveal the geological natures of both Pluto & Charon. Andrew Brown.  Posted by 3488</DIV> Is the reason the picture quality won't be great because of the distance it will be from Pluto and Charon or is because of the lack of light? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard! </div>

3488 · Aug 5, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Is the reason the picture quality won't be great because of the distance it will be from Pluto and Charon or is because of the lack of light? Posted by brandbll</DIV>Hi brandbll,They will still be great images, but perhaps not as sharp as you may expect.Yes both reasons you stated are factors. A third factor is New Horizon's speed through the Hadean System @ 50,362 KPH / 31,300 MPH. At that speed, viewing geometry will be changing rapidly within the Hadean system, so to get the best, exposures will have to be kept short in the 1/1,600 sunlight that we are used to on Earth, otherwise blurring will occur. At Pluto's current location, solar constant is only 0.825 Watt per square metre. By the time New Horizons zips through, it will be slightly less, as the Hadean system is past perihelion. No wonder why its so friggin cold, almost as warm as a British Summer. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/10/1/ca0259b2-f1a2-49bb-81ea-441638d5c39d.Medium.gif" alt="" /> #The onboard LORRI camera is well suited for this for the telescopic hi res shots, but speed, distance & lack of light will all play a role in the limitations.Having said that, we will get to see the true nature of Pluto, Nix & Charon.BTW, Preliminary trajectory analysis also shows that the smallest know Pluto moon Nix will be very well placed, perhaps being seen in a better resolution than Charon, perhaps about 55 metres /  180 feet resolution. Hydra will be much further away, but New Horizons will still see its shape & many surface features will still be seeable, but it looks like a Pluto, Nix & Charon primary mission. Obviously the comments made in this paragraph may change as the orbits of the two minor moons become better known, between now & then & who knows, Pluto may yet still have undiscovered smaller moons.Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

centsworth_II · Aug 5, 2008

The best images of Pluto will have better resolution than the image on the right (of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede), the best images of Charion will be almost as good.  Looks pretty good to me. <img src="http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/picsol/ganres.jpg" alt="" />The frame at left was taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft when it flew by in 1979, with a resolution of about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 mile) per pixel. The frame at right showing the same area was captured by Galileo during its first flyby of Ganymede on June 27, 1996; it has a resolution of about 74 meters (243 feet) per pixel, more than 17 times better than that of the Voyager image. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/ganymede.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

stupidlaminatedrock · Aug 5, 2008

man im really hyped up about this and DAWN. I love these deep space mission more than anything. Its a shame we cant get a good view of Sedna or Eris. Its also a shame NH is just a flyby not an orbiter, so IMO, dont expect much detail from the images. Kind of like the Voyager flybys. Quick overval view and small sections close up. Im expecting New Horizons to bring a few answers once it finishes its primary mission. Investigating the Pioneer Anomaly. KBO object exploration, possibility of larger bodies beyond Pluto. More specifically how common are they What do Pluto and Triton have in common, could there be Methane plumes on Pluto?Finally getting images from deep space. Finally images from beyond Neptune. This is the most important thing. Pointing the Lorri towards the unknown.   i would add a thing about planet x. But short of going back in time and revising textbooks, i dont think you can ever stop that stupid conspiracy theory. Yet if something was out there in that Axis, NH would find it. This will be like the 1970's pioneer missions. All kinds of discoveries are going to come from mission. I promise. Everything past this point is unknown.

3488 · Aug 6, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The best images of Pluto will have better resolution than the image on the right (of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede), the best images of Charion will be almost as good.  Looks pretty good to me. The frame at left was taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft when it flew by in 1979, with a resolution of about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 mile) per pixel. The frame at right showing the same area was captured by Galileo during its first flyby of Ganymede on June 27, 1996; it has a resolution of about 74 meters (243 feet) per pixel, more than 17 times better than that of the Voyager image. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/ganymede.html Posted by centsworth_II</DIV>Thank you very much Centsworth_II. A great illustration of what I was trying to explain & you picked a great observation from a great mission. I still remember the first Galileo encounter of Ganymede & the frustratingly long wait for the first images (this was just before the final data compression software was uplinked to Galileo & the return of data from the second Ganymede & first Callisto encounters, etc were very much quicker). Yes the NH imagery of both Pluto & Charon & by sheer lucky chance of Nix will be stunning, when considering the lighting conditions verses speed of NH. Even NH images of Hydra will still be sharper than the left hand panel of Ganymede in your post. Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>man im really hyped up about this and DAWN. I love these deep space mission more than anything. Its a shame we cant get a good view of Sedna or Eris. Its also a shame NH is just a flyby not an orbiter, so IMO, dont expect much detail from the images. Kind of like the Voyager flybys. Quick overval view and small sections close up. Im expecting New Horizons to bring a few answers once it finishes its primary mission. Investigating the Pioneer Anomaly. KBO object exploration, possibility of larger bodies beyond Pluto. More specifically how common are theyWhat do Pluto and Triton have in common, could there be Methane plumes on Pluto?Finally getting images from deep space. Finally images from beyond Neptune. This is the most important thing. Pointing the Lorri towards the unknown.   i would add a thing about planet x. But short of going back in time and revising textbooks, i dont think you can ever stop that stupid conspiracy theory. Yet if something was out there in that Axis, NH would find it. This will be like the 1970's pioneer missions. All kinds of discoveries are going to come from mission. I promise. Everything past this point is unknown.  Posted by stupidlaminatedrock</DIV>Hi stupidlaminatedrock,Yes me too. I was involved in the campaigns to save both DAWN & New Horizons as well as the Phoenix Mars Lander from cancellation, so in a way, these are like my children.Phoenix Mars Lander is already returning fantastic data from Scandia Colles in the arctic region of Mars, New Horizons has already excelled at Jupiter (I was successful in getting NH to make extra obs of Io, I was not alone in this, but was instrumental), not to mention stunning obs of Jovian weather & fresh obs of Europa, Ganymede & Callisto too, as well as getting light curves & spectra of the middle group smaller moons (suspected captured type S asteroids) Elara & Himalia, already some long range obs of Pluto & next August or September, NH will be able to split Pluto & Charon with the LORRI.It's difficult to say if Pluto will have Methane plumes. Whilst Triton & Pluto are very similar (Triton being a little larger, denser & therefore more massive of the two), Triton literally melted from the inside out, during capture by Neptune. Triton's initial orbit around Neptune would have been very elliptical, thus the tidal flexing would have been tremendous as Triton's forward momentum was robbed, possible only second to Jupiter's Io in this respect.As Triton's orbit became more circular the internal frictional heating waned & Triton refroze, with a brand new surface. Voyager 2 imagery suggests this may have been as recent as 500 million years ago, (only about one ninth of the age of the solar system), though that figure is a little arbitary as the cratering rate within the Neptune system is not accurately known.AFAIK, Pluto on the other hand has not been 'roughed up' or modified by tidal heating, so I expect Pluto to be a more primitive looking Triton, possibly crater scarred with less or even no evidence of cryovolcanism. But then we just do not know!!!! Perhaps Pluto will turn out to be like another Triton, but I doubt it. There appears to be circumstantial evidence of cryovolcanism on Charon (crystalline ice & possible methane outgassing)??????New Horizons will search for other smaller moons orbiting Pluto & should find any that are there (if any more exist, but would not surprise me if there are more) & even looking for rings (I doubt Pluto has rings, Pluto's relatively low gravity & proximity of a large moon, IMO would disrupt any rings).The KBOs Ixion & Quaoar will be approx 15 AU away from NH at this time & perhaps post Pluto encounter, the LORRI could be used to obtain light curves of both (too far away though to resolve them other than points against the stars).Eris, Sedna, Makemake, Varuna, Orcus & 2003 EL61 (Santa), etc unfortunately are far too far away to be observed, but as H20universe (Joel) says, there will be an active KBO search for further close encounters (I suspect there will be further encounters. Objects in this part of the Solar System are turning up frequently now, so I'm confident, the mission will not end at Pluto).Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

stupidlaminatedrock · Aug 6, 2008

wow thanks for the awesome post. And thank you for lobby on behalf of the community. I wrote letters to congress but my district is pretty liberal would rather spend the money on roads or something.

3488 · Aug 6, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>wow thanks for the awesome post. And thank you for lobby on behalf of the community. I wrote letters to congress but my district is pretty liberal would rather spend the money on roads or something. Posted by stupidlaminatedrock</DIV>Hi stupidlaminatedrock,Yes & I'm not even American, I'm British.  Having said that, the campaigns were international in nature, the Planetary Society were involved as well as many private individuals (myself included) pooled many ideas together to take to the US Congress. I never hid the fact that I was British. I had my local MP (Member of Parliament) forward my letters to the US Embassy in London.As I said, I was very deeply involved. It was a shame we did not succeed with NH2, but we were successful with NH as also with DAWN & Phoenix. DAWN was the most recent & that was through the Planetary Society. When DAWN was cancelled with the work order being stopped, we were red hot on the case & fortunately the decision was overturned. It's difficult to say what bearing if any I had personally on the end results, but like to think that I did help.Andrew Brown.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

MeteorWayne · Sep 15, 2008

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/news_center/news/091208.php September 12, 2008'Brain Transplant' Successful as Checkout Continues<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="39%">The first major order of business in New Horizons’ second annual checkout was accomplished as planned, as operators uploaded an upgraded version of the software that runs the spacecraft’s Command and Data Handling system.“Our ‘brain transplant’ was a success,” says New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern. “The new software – which guides how New Horizons carries out commands and collects and stores data – is now on the spacecraft’s main computer and operating, over a billion miles from home!” <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/8/13/781eea9c-cee1-4b02-8df5-2d9df2932d4d.Medium.jpg" alt="" />

3488 · Sep 15, 2008

Hi Wayne, Thank you for the update.Apparently the LORRI next month will be used to take very distant images of Uranus, Neptune,Triton & Pluto. It is hoped that maybe the large Uranus moons Titania & Oberon may also be observable.These will really only be for light curve observations, but Uranus may be resolvable as a gibbous phase, something that can never bee seen from Earth. Neptune probably not owing to the larger distance, but Triton is probably seeable due to the very high albedo of approx 85% - 90% (third after Enceladus & Eris) & a reasonably large distance from Neptune. So whilst we will not be getting the close up, pin sharp views that Voyager 2 provided, these observations could still reveal some new information on the ice giants. Pluto also will be imaged, though it is not expected that Charon is resolvable as yet.Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

Meric · Oct 7, 2008

So I'm just kind of bumping this thread.  I know there is a lot going on with Messenger and other missions at this time, and those are very exciting.  However, I've been looking forward to this mission ever since I saw it on the Science channel one day a few years ago.  Does anyone know what is planned next, from what I've read here the transplate was good, and now it's kind of in cruise control.  But just curious if anyone knows what's next.   Thanks,Meric <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Those who never make mistakes, are always led by those who do. </div>

MeteorWayne · Oct 7, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>So I'm just kind of bumping this thread.  I know there is a lot going on with Messenger and other missions at this time, and those are very exciting.  However, I've been looking forward to this mission ever since I saw it on the Science channel one day a few years ago.  Does anyone know what is planned next, from what I've read here the transplate was good, and now it's kind of in cruise control.  But just curious if anyone knows what's next.   Thanks,Meric Posted by Meric</DIV> Coincidentally, the PI (Principal Investigator) Alan Stern just released an update yesterday.A few excerpts:With the code upgrades behind us, we have turned our attention to a busy October of subsystem and instrument checkouts, instrument calibrations, and a four-day test of the spacecraft’s “encounter mode” – something we have not yet tested very much in flight but need to before the first encounter rehearsal next August. The rapid-fire pace for the New Horizons team won’t settle down until November, when we concentrate on several weeks of cruise science observations of the interplanetary environment between Saturn and Uranus using our PEPSSI, SWAP and Student Dust Counter instruments. We’ll stop collecting data after Thanksgiving and prepare New Horizons and its payload for another long sleep, which is set to begin Dec. 16.Well, that’s the update on the spacecraft and flight project for now, but before I close, I have four short items of project <ul><li>The sister instrument to our Alice ultraviolet spectrometer, flying on the European Space Agency’s Rosetta comet mission, performed perfectly in an encounter with the asteroid Steins on Sept. 5. In fact, in that encounter, that Alice instrument obtained the first far and extreme ultraviolet spectra of any asteroid. Go Alice team! </li><li>The Great Planet Debate meeting, held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Aug. 14-16, brought together more than 100 educators and scientists to continue the debate over what is and is not a planet. As a post-meeting press release states, there is still a lot of controversy among scientists – and it seems the only point beyond contention is that there is contention between researchers on Pluto’s status and the status of other dwarf planets. So the debate continues. </li></ul><li>A full-scale model of New Horizons has been placed in the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, and it will be dedicated later this month with speeches and toasts. Of the thousands of spacecraft launched since Sputnik, only a few dozen are represented with models or replicas in the National Air and Space Museum, and we are very proud that New Horizons is in such historic company. </li><li>NASA presented our entire project team with a Group Achievement Award for the successful development and launch of New Horizons. With that also came a Public Service Medal – the highest distinction NASA can bestow on a person on a robotic space mission – for our project manager, Glen Fountain</li>  To read the whole thing, go here:http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/overview/piPerspective.php <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

New Horizons Mission Update Thread (Part Two)

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