NH at Jupiter, Planning the Jupiter encounter |
NH at Jupiter, Planning the Jupiter encounter |
Jan 22 2006, 10:57 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 706 Joined: 3-December 04 From: Boulder, Colorado, USA Member No.: 117 |
I think the Jupiter encounter deserves its own thread.
I've just been taking a first look at the Jupiter encounter geometry. You can do the same using Mark Showalter's excellent on-line ephemeris tools at the PDS rings node, which by good fortune happens to include a New Horizons ephemeris (calculated over a year ago) for our actual launch date, January 19th. We'll have an updated ephemeris soon, but this one's already good enough for planning. As Roby72 noted in the Star 48 thread, the satellites are (annoyingly) all on the opposite side of Jupiter at closest approach. We'll still get good views of all sides of Io because Io rotates in only 1.8 days and we'll be pretty close to Jupiter for that long. We'll get fairly good coverage on Europa too, for the same reason. But we won't get very close to Ganymede or Callisto. Luckily Io is our highest priority satellite target and Europa is next, so we'll do OK. |
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Jan 26 2006, 07:26 AM
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 72 Joined: 22-December 05 Member No.: 616 |
So New Horizons will take images of the Gas giant Jupiter and some of its moons?
Wondered if the lenses on the cameras are closed afterwards as some kind of protection and opened before Pluto encounter? |
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Jan 26 2006, 06:09 PM
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Forum Contributor Group: Members Posts: 1374 Joined: 8-February 04 From: North East Florida, USA. Member No.: 11 |
I think the lens cover on LORRI is designed just to open, its better to have a bit of dust on the lens than having a lens cover stick in the closed position.
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Feb 6 2006, 05:17 AM
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#4
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 87 Joined: 19-June 05 Member No.: 415 |
QUOTE (MahFL @ Jan 26 2006, 12:09 PM) I think the lens cover on LORRI is designed just to open, its better to have a bit of dust on the lens than having a lens cover stick in the closed position. The doors on LORRI and Ralph both open with one-time, spring loaded mechanisms. These devices are well proven and have high reliability, as almost anything is better than having the door stick in the closed position, as you said. We will know for sure in a few months. Does anyone know when they plan to open the doors and take test images? |
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Feb 6 2006, 03:47 PM
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#5
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Member Group: Members Posts: 903 Joined: 30-January 05 Member No.: 162 |
QUOTE (Comga @ Feb 5 2006, 11:17 PM) The doors on LORRI and Ralph both open with one-time, spring loaded mechanisms. These devices are well proven and have high reliability, as almost anything is better than having the door stick in the closed position, as you said. We will know for sure in a few months. Does anyone know when they plan to open the doors and take test images? I am sure there is a good reason for not doing this, but I have always wondered why these ejectable lens covers aren't made of lexan. If they don't come off, camera would still work. Must be missin' sumpthin' ? |
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