New Horizons: Pre-launch, launch and main cruise, Pluto and the Kuiper belt |
New Horizons: Pre-launch, launch and main cruise, Pluto and the Kuiper belt |
Feb 8 2005, 02:09 PM
Post
#101
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 133 Joined: 29-January 05 Member No.: 161 |
Yes it's happening after all these years, the mission to the last planet!
And maybe to celebrate the confirmation of budget, NASA approval preparations and the fueling of the RTG (radioisotope thermoelectric generator), there is an updated web site at http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/ Launch will be January 2006 with arrival at the Pluto Charon system July 2015 (mark your calender!) and then on through the Kuiper belt during 2016-2020 and beyond. 20.8-centimeter telescope for 100m resolution at closest approach IR/UV spectrometers 2 x 8GB data recorders data rate: 768 bps (sic) to 70m DSN 465kg including fuel $650m 336 days to launch -------------------- |
|
|
May 24 2005, 03:32 PM
Post
#102
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 154 Joined: 17-March 05 Member No.: 206 |
Yes, please no blurred images or star navigation. We wouldn't want to go off path and do a "litho"-braking on Pluto, making it a Kuipler-belt version of Deep Impact
|
|
|
Jul 8 2005, 08:10 PM
Post
#103
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 529 Joined: 19-February 05 Member No.: 173 |
An updated NH mission background and current status presentation, replete with
some nice eye candy, can be found as the topmost link at www.boulder.swri.edu/pkb |
|
|
Jul 14 2005, 07:01 PM
Post
#104
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 81 Joined: 25-February 05 From: New Jersey Member No.: 177 |
QUOTE (Alan Stern @ Jul 8 2005, 08:10 PM) An updated NH mission background and current status presentation, replete with some nice eye candy, can be found as the topmost link at www.boulder.swri.edu/pkb Good slideshow - I note that there's an image of the spacecraft being spun around in environmental testing. You wouldn't happen to have a video of that test by any chance? -------------------- ----------------------------------------------
"Too low they build, who build beneath the stars." - Edward Young |
|
|
Jul 15 2005, 06:13 AM
Post
#105
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 529 Joined: 19-February 05 Member No.: 173 |
|
|
|
Jul 16 2005, 04:54 PM
Post
#106
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 87 Joined: 19-June 05 Member No.: 415 |
Another great image is in the July 11 issue of Aviation Week on page 17. It points out Ralph and Alice. Although small, if you look closely and use the SwRI slideshow as a guide, you can see the other external instruments, SWAP and PEPSSI, on the far side. (The LORRI door is closed.) Such a handsome craft.
After talking about the great progress being made, the short article also discusses the power situation, saying that the electrical power available at encounter will be 120W, vs an original plan of 190W. Is this an accurate current projection? |
|
|
Jul 17 2005, 12:25 PM
Post
#107
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 529 Joined: 19-February 05 Member No.: 173 |
The numbers in the AvWeek article are not correct.
Our original expectation was 225 W at 2015.5 (the best case Pluto encounter date). The problems at LANL prevented this from obtaining. At one point it looked as bad as 150 W at 2015.5. The spacecraft requires about 165 W to run the encounter, counting an allocation for the payload. As a result of some very good work at DOE, we now have an expectation of 192+/-2W at 2015.5, which is perfectly adequate. |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 2nd June 2024 - 08:25 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |