New Horizons Mission Update Thread (Part Two)

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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">Coming up on June 8th, New Horizons passses the orbit of Saturn.It is 10.00 AU from the sun today! <br />Posted by MeteorWayne</font></DIV></p><p><strong><font size="2">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.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">Worth noting that sunlight here is only 1% as strong as from Earth or only 13.2 watts per square metre.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">Thanks Wayne for the reminder.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">View of Sun from New Horizons. Sunday 1st June 2008 @ 17:30 UTC. Sun almost on Taurus - Gemini boundary.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000080">http://www.photodump.com/Anonymous/wspace.html</font></strong><br /><strong><font size="2"><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/3/9/d39cf3c8-47f1-4f57-89dc-daee6c89fcad.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">Saturn from New Horizons. Sunday 1st June 2008 @ 17:30 UTC. On border of Gemini & Cancer.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000080">http://www.photodump.com/Anonymous/wspace%202.html</font></strong><br /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/3/8/130f78e4-d562-4ae7-98b7-d36ed693692e.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p><strong><font size="2">Andrew Brown.</font></strong></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"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".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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<p>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" /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">I knew you'd appreciate it, Andrew, my friend <br />Posted by MeteorWayne</font></DIV></p><p><strong><font size="2">I do Wayne, very much. </font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">New Horizons was one of the three missions with who's campaigns I&nbsp;think, I helped get out of the cancellation bin (Phoenix & DAWN being the other two).&nbsp;</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">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.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">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&nbsp;KM, but would be a good inflight test IMO.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">Andrew Brown.</font></strong></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"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".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><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&nbsp;KM, but would be a good inflight test IMO.Andrew Brown. <br />Posted by 3488</DIV><br /><br />Yes, but nap time is very important&nbsp; on a mission this long in order to achieve the end objective....</p><p>Only 7 years, 1 month, and 13 days to go (It's Ann's Birthday when NH passes Pluto)</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">Yes, but nap time is very important&nbsp; 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) <br />Posted by MeteorWayne</font></DIV></p><p><strong><font size="2">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. </font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">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.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">My birthday shares those of the launches of Pioneer 11 & the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. </font></strong></p><p><br /><strong><font size="2">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. </font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">That's less then double the time the MERs have been operational on Mars.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">This is a great mission & like Phoenix now, we will really learn a great deal about a real unvisited location in tremendous detail.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">Andrew Brown.</font></strong></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"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".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>As foretold above, on&nbsp;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 <br />Posted by jmilsom</DIV><br /><br />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"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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brandbll

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[dQUOTE]My birthday shares those of the launches of Pioneer 11 & the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. <br />Posted by 3488[/QUOTE]<br /><br />Consider yourself lucky, my birthday marks the day the <em>Titanic</em> 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"> <p><font size="3">You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard!</font></p> </div>
 
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Swampcat

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Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Consider yourself lucky, my birthday marks the day the Titanic left port... <br />Posted by brandbll</DIV><br /><br />Mine marks the bombing of Hiroshima. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"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."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Mine marks the bombing of Hiroshima. <br />Posted by Swampcat</DIV><br /><br />7 Years to New Horizon's pass through the Pluto system.</p><p>Happy Birthday Ann!<br /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/14/15/4edaa33b-babb-48b1-9f80-d1462b4a8dc6.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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jmilsom

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<p>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&nbsp;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 -&nbsp;as Alan Stern points out, this can be tested by NH1&nbsp;</p><p>Full report here: <font color="#5574b9">http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/overview/piPerspectives/piPerspective_current.php</font></p><p>Mission elapsed time: </p><p><font color="#993300">Days&nbsp;922 Hours 04 Minutes 26<br /></font><br /><strong>Time since</strong> Jupiter closest approach <br /><br /><font color="#993300">Days&nbsp;517 Hours&nbsp;17 Minutes&nbsp;43 <br /></font><br />Pluto closest approach!!!! <br /><br /><font color="#993300">Days 2540 Hours 12 Minutes 31</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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Jeters_Boy

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<p>Layman questions here:&nbsp; how close will New Horizons be to Pluto at its closest?&nbsp; How detailed will the photos be?&nbsp;What do we expect the photos to look like relative to other planets/moons?&nbsp; Where will New Horizons go after it passes Pluto?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Thanks!</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em><strong>Now batting, shortstop Derek Jeter</strong></em></p> </div>
 
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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">Layman questions here:&nbsp; how close will New Horizons be to Pluto at its closest?&nbsp; How detailed will the photos be?&nbsp;What do we expect the photos to look like relative to other planets/moons?&nbsp; Where will New Horizons go after it passes Pluto?&nbsp;Thanks! <br /> Posted by Jeters_Boy</font></DIV></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Hi Jeters_Boy.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Welcome to SDC.&nbsp;</strong></font></p><p><font size="4" color="#000080">Passage of New Horizons through the Pluto system.&nbsp;</font></p><p><font size="2" color="#000000"><strong>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.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2" color="#000000"><strong>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.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2" color="#000000"><strong>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.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2" color="#000000"><strong>They will not match the very best, but will be more than sharp enough to reveal the geological natures of both Pluto & Charon.&nbsp;</strong></font></p><font size="2"><strong>Andrew Brown.</strong></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"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".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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h2ouniverse

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Where will New Horizons go after it passes Pluto?&nbsp;Thanks! <br />Posted by Jeters_Boy</DIV><br /><br />Hi Jeters,</p><p>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.</p><p>Go there: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/lists/OuterPlot.html&nbsp;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.</p><p>If clyde Tombaugh had searched for Pluto today he would have missed it...</p><p>Best regards.</p>
 
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brandbll

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Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Hi Jeters_Boy.Welcome to SDC.&nbsp;Passage of New Horizons through the Pluto system.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;Andrew Brown.&nbsp; <br />Posted by 3488</DIV><br /><br />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"> <p><font size="3">You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard!</font></p> </div>
 
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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">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? <br />Posted by brandbll</font></DIV></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Hi brandbll,</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>They will still be great images, but perhaps not as sharp as you may expect.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>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. </strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>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. </strong></font><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/10/1/ca0259b2-f1a2-49bb-81ea-441638d5c39d.Medium.gif" alt="" /><br />#</p><p><font size="2"><strong>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.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Having said that, we will get to see the true nature of Pluto, Nix & Charon.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>BTW,&nbsp;</strong></font></p><p><strong><font size="2">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 /&nbsp; 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.</font></strong></p><p><font size="2" color="#000000"><strong>Andrew Brown. <br /></strong></font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"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".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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centsworth_II

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<p>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.&nbsp; Looks pretty good to me.&nbsp;</p><p><img src="http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/picsol/ganres.jpg" alt="" /></p><p>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. <u>http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/ganymede.html</u></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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stupidlaminatedrock

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<p>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. </p><p>Im expecting New Horizons to bring a few answers once it finishes its primary mission.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Investigating the Pioneer Anomaly. <br /></strong></p><p><strong>KBO object exploration, possibility of larger bodies beyond Pluto. More specifically how common are they<br /></strong></p><p><strong>What do Pluto and Triton have in common, could there be Methane plumes on Pluto?</strong></p><p><strong>Finally getting images from deep space. Finally images from beyond Neptune. This is the most important thing. Pointing the Lorri towards the unknown.&nbsp;</strong> </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>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.&nbsp;</p>
 
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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">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.&nbsp; Looks pretty good to me.&nbsp;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. <font color="#000080">http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/ganymede.html <br /></font>Posted by centsworth_II</font></DIV></p><p><strong><font size="2">Thank you very much Centsworth_II. </font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">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&nbsp;were very much quicker). </font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">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.<br /></font></strong></p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp; &nbsp;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.&nbsp; <br />Posted by stupidlaminatedrock</font></DIV></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">Hi stupidlaminatedrock,</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">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.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">Phoenix Mars Lander&nbsp;is already returning fantastic data from&nbsp;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&nbsp;(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.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">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.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">As Triton's orbit became more circular the internal frictional heating waned &&nbsp;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&nbsp;known.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">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. </font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">There appears to be circumstantial evidence of cryovolcanism on Charon (crystalline ice & possible methane outgassing)??????</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">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&nbsp;& proximity of a large moon, IMO would disrupt any rings).</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">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).</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">Eris, Sedna,&nbsp;Makemake, Varuna, Orcus&nbsp;& 2003 EL61 (Santa), etc&nbsp;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.&nbsp;Objects in this part of the Solar System are turning up frequently now, so I'm confident, the mission will not end at Pluto).</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">Andrew Brown.</font></strong></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"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".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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stupidlaminatedrock

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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.
 
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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">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. <br /> Posted by stupidlaminatedrock</font></DIV></p><p><strong><font size="2" color="#000000">Hi stupidlaminatedrock,</font></strong></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Yes & I'm not even American, I'm British. &nbsp;</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>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.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>As I said, I was very deeply involved.&nbsp;</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>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.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Andrew Brown</strong></font>.&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"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".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/news_center/news/091208.php<br /><p class="bold">September 12, 2008</p><p class="headerText"><strong>'Brain Transplant' Successful as Checkout Continues</strong></p><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="39%"><p>The first major order of business in New Horizons&rsquo; second annual checkout was accomplished as planned, as operators uploaded an upgraded version of the software that runs the spacecraft&rsquo;s Command and Data Handling system.</p><p>&ldquo;Our &lsquo;brain transplant&rsquo; was a success,&rdquo; says New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern. &ldquo;The new software &ndash; which guides how New Horizons carries out commands and collects and stores data &ndash; is now on the spacecraft&rsquo;s main computer and operating, over a billion miles from home!&rdquo;</p><p><br /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/8/13/781eea9c-cee1-4b02-8df5-2d9df2932d4d.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
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3488

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<p><strong><font size="2">Hi Wayne,</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">&nbsp;Thank you for the update.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">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&nbsp;be observable.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">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.<br /></font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">So whilst we will not be getting the close up, pin&nbsp;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.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">Andrew Brown.</font></strong></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"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".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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Meric

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<p>So I'm just kind of bumping this thread.&nbsp; I know there is a lot going on with Messenger and other missions at this time, and those are very exciting.&nbsp; However, I've been looking forward to this mission ever since I saw it on the Science channel one day a few years ago.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; But just curious if anyone knows what's next.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;Thanks,</p><p>Meric</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#993300"><font size="2"><font color="#000000"> </font><em><font color="#000000">Those who never make mistakes, are always led by those who do.</font></em></font></font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>So I'm just kind of bumping this thread.&nbsp; I know there is a lot going on with Messenger and other missions at this time, and those are very exciting.&nbsp; However, I've been looking forward to this mission ever since I saw it on the Science channel one day a few years ago.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; But just curious if anyone knows what's next.&nbsp; &nbsp;Thanks,Meric <br />Posted by Meric</DIV><br /><br />Coincidentally, the PI (Principal Investigator) Alan Stern just released an update yesterday.</p><p>A few excerpts:</p><p>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&rsquo;s &ldquo;encounter mode&rdquo; &ndash; something we have not yet tested very much in flight but need to before the first encounter rehearsal next August. </p><p>The rapid-fire pace for the New Horizons team won&rsquo;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&rsquo;ll stop collecting data after Thanksgiving and prepare New Horizons and its payload for another long sleep, which is set to begin Dec. 16.</p><p>Well, that&rsquo;s the update on the spacecraft and flight project for now, but before I close, I have four short items of project </p><ul><li>The sister instrument to our Alice ultraviolet spectrometer, flying on the European Space Agency&rsquo;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!<br /><br /></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 &ndash; and it seems the only point beyond contention is that there <em>is</em> contention between researchers on Pluto&rsquo;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. <br /><br /></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 &ndash; the highest distinction NASA can bestow on a person on a robotic space mission &ndash; for our project manager, Glen Fountain</li><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>To read the whole thing, go here:</p><p>http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/overview/piPerspective.php</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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