Very nice -- but what about those few of us who still have relatively small monitors and are rather forced to use 800x600 resolution? There are still a few of us out here...

-the other Doug

but a Deep Impact mission is underway, with a NASA spacecraft loaded with explosives scheduled to collide with the Tempel-1 comet on July 4 and blast it to smithereens...

<snip>

...comprised of a “fly-by” spacecraft and a smaller “impactor” carrying some 350 kilograms of a copper-based explosive ...

<snip>

Indeed, the consequences of destroying a comet may include anything from an asteroid shower to disruption to radio waves.

Personally -- and speaking as someone who (to my continuing amazement) apparently did play a major role in getting NASA to reverse its original rejection of this probe, through my series of SpaceDaily articles (details on request) -- I remain very uneasy about launching something as toxic as Pu-238 unless it's absolutely necessary, and I would hope they can hold it to an absolute minimum in future missions.  For instance, not a single one of the four proposed highest-priority New Frontiers concepts after New Horizons -- including the Jupiter polar orbiter -- requires it.  I'm not wildly happy about their putting it on MSL; I think there might very well be ways to make a solar power system work effectively(including dust-cleaning mechanisms and concentrator mirrors).

Actually, I'm a lot less uneasy about orbiting nuclear reactors, since those use U-235 -- which is normally extremely non-radioactive -- as their fuel, and so don't start producing dangerous radioisotopes until they've actually been turned on and allowed to run a while.  Put them into a high Earth orbit before you do that and they are no danger whatsoever.

There are several new NH downloads including an EPO poster at
www.boulder.swri.edu/pkb for those interested.

Get mhoward's MIDNIGHT MARS BROWSER and keep it running in a window - keeps great Mars time by rover!

Thanks for the link. You can also listen to the talk if you wish (sorry, don't have the slides).

I think I speak for everyone here in saying that we greatly appreciate your taking the time to answer our questions.

"could this flashy colour video be used on the surface post landing?"

There will be video on the rover. I don't know if its the same as the decent video. My guess is no.

I have read that closest approach won't be too far outside the orbit of Callisto. Will Callisto actually be nearby. Also, with its telescopic capability, what kind of resolution will New Horizons be able to get on the Galileans?

No one can take 27m/pixel images from their backyard - not even the Keck facility

Doug

It is arguably the fourth oddest of Saturn's moons,

If anyone has any suggestions for other sessions they think will be interesting, I sure would appreciate it if you would point them out to me.