How far will NH pass by Pluto?, - and will it be possible to effect a meaningful course change? |
How far will NH pass by Pluto?, - and will it be possible to effect a meaningful course change? |
Guest_Oersted_* |
Apr 16 2008, 02:16 PM
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#1
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Guests |
So, from what I gather, NH will pass by Pluto at a speed of around 14 km/s. I know it won't be able to slow down in any way, and will continue into deep space afterwards, but is a substantial course change envisaged at Pluto, or will it fly by so far away that the course change will be negligible?
I realise that the instruments must be optimised for a pass at a certain distance, but what distance is that and could it possible by reduced with no ill effects? It would be mindblowing if a low pass over Pluto could be planned so that NH will fly close by Charon as well, wouldn't it? - Or maybe even - to go really out on a limb - a few high-speed figure 8's around both bodies, before the probe continues on its merry way. Would that even be physically possible? At least I'm not suggesting aero-braking if Pluto turns out to have a tenuous atmosphere. |
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Apr 16 2008, 02:50 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16 |
NH trajectory through the Pluto system (from NH website)
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Apr 16 2008, 02:58 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 706 Joined: 3-December 04 From: Boulder, Colorado, USA Member No.: 117 |
Last fall we changed this slightly, updating the closest approach distance from 10,000 km to 12,500 km. This buys us a bit more time near close approach, at the expense of a little spatial resolution. Going much closer wouldn't improve our resolution much because images would be smeared, and we wouldn't have time to cover much territory.
I guess we need to update that graphic! John. |
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Apr 16 2008, 03:03 PM
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#4
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Member Group: Members Posts: 532 Joined: 19-February 05 Member No.: 173 |
Last fall we changed this slightly, updating the closest approach distance from 10,000 km to 12,500 km. This buys us a bit more time near close approach, at the expense of a little spatial resolution. Going much closer wouldn't improve our resolution much because images would be smeared, and we wouldn't have time to cover much territory. I guess we need to update that graphic! John. Here's the updated version. |
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