LPSC abstract for that: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j...EH9NIx3azKek2HQ

I know they are no plans to climb the mountain,

NH has been talking to the DSN for a couple of hours now, so perhaps the (still historic!) image downlink has started.

http://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html

(I haven't read anything about when exactly the image downlink is supposed to start - not that it should matter much for us in terms of release time, anyway)

One question elakdawalla asked but was not addressed at the press conference was something I'd wondered myself - assuming Charon was formed by a giant impact, might that impact have taken place more recently than the formation of the Solar System? This could have provided a more recent heat source for both Pluto and Charon, though the timescale of tidal locking and orbit circularization doubtless sets a lower bound on the age of the current Pluto system.

Do you have any idea why the fuel usage is a concern? Is there any possibility of additional targets after the second encounter?

-kap

DSN Madrid doesn't appear to be to be receiving any data from NH now (http://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html), so I'm guessing there wasn't any scientific data tucked in right behind the systems/telemetry data (the transmission was way to short to be anything but a status update). Does anyone know when some of the science data was sent?

-kap

I have no idea if the data includes the amount of occupied memory.

Charles Bolden: "Pluto is rich in reds". Maybe he has already seen a certain color picture?

Things are happening fast now. As mentioned in a previous briefing, we may not see all the data for awhile. But I'm sure they will put out some images and data this week.

I "accidentally" took a screen grab from a monitor during a live feed from NH Mission Operations today:

[attachment=36809:NH_Monitor.jpg]

It sure doesn't look like telemetry data. Although it's too small to be useful, if it is an image of Pluto or Charon, it could be a teaser of the kind of resolution and detail we can soon expect. Personally, I think it could be a close up on Pluto...

I'm hoping that the light heart-shaped area on Pluto does not turn out to be a big snowfield or dunefield-- that might make for a b o r i n g primary target area.

....The data from the Eyes app may be not up to date (seeing they dont seem to have an accurate Pluto terrain map.

A video made simulating Voyager's approach to Triton which may be useful in guessing when various features are distinguishable from artifacts.

https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/voyager/triton-20140821

A link is always nice: http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/new-hori...-puzzling-spots

So not quite the last chance for us to experience encountering strange new worlds.