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
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#201
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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 -------------------- |
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Nov 9 2005, 07:47 AM
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#202
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1870 Joined: 20-February 05 Member No.: 174 |
I suspect some of the most valuable PICTURES during the Jupiter flyby will be of the moons in Jupiter shadow. Io's multi-colored aurora are spectacular, but Galileo's images are pretty horrible due to radiation noise and low light levels. I don't think there was any direct imaging system detections of airglows or hypothetical irradiation induced "iceglows" at the other satellites. Timing of the flyby may randomly allow an observation of Ganymede or Callisto, much more likely for Europa and especially Io because of their shorter orbital periods. Might be able to see torus emissions at Io, too.
Nightside Jupiter imaging.. auroras, airglows and lightning may well be spectacular. Does the spacecraft go through Jupiter's shadow?.... High phase angle ring images which really brings out faint ring-dust features are also potentially spectacular. |
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