KBO encounters Options

[xtruel]

Hi,

I’m regular follower of NH and I’m also interested in the 2nd leg of the mission, i.e the 2016+ KBOs encounters. Does anyone know when operations about this leg (starting with searching objects of interest with HST or some other earth-based means, I suppose) are expected to begin ?

[hendric]

Just got this in the Zooniverse newsletter. I think it should be safe to post here!

New Beta Test for IceHunters

Last week we tested a new Zooniverse project "Ice Hunters" with
Galaxy Zoo: Supernovae and Galaxy Zoo users. Thanks to the help of
more than 3700 of you, we are now ready to expand our beta test to the
full Zooniverse.

To try out the site as a beta tester, go to:
http://demo.icehunters.org
The tutorial is here:
http://demo.icehunters.org/tutorial

The site will launch to the public in late May or early June, so
please keep this address to yourself for now. IceHunters uses data
around the world to look for Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), Variable
Stars, and Asteroids. The ultimate goal is to find the Kuiper Belt
Object (or Objects) that the New Horizons spacecraft will be
redirected to after in flies past Pluto in 2015. The data to find that
object is being taken right now. While we wait for it, we have loaded
in testing data from 2004 and 2005; images filed with unknown KBOs,
variable stars, and asteroids that appear as blobs and streaks in the
residuals of the subtracted images. Your name will be associated with
your every discovery, and catalogues will be published next winter.
Help us find new icy bodies today: http://demo.icehunters.org