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
#1
|
|
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 -------------------- |
|
|
Mar 2 2005, 10:45 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 122 Joined: 26-June 04 From: Austria Member No.: 89 |
Alan,
I also most appreciate your interest in our forum. Its fantastic to see the progress in building NH as a real spacecraft, after this long series of troubles. Therefore I have my own special question - sometimes in the late 80s there was a mission called TAU on the drawboards of NASA I believe. It would have a ion engine to reach 1000 A.U. and this far away point should enabled the TAU-craft to obtain extremely precise astrometric measurements (parallaxes out to the Magellanic clouds!). Could NH accomplish some astrometric measures out to 50 A.U. ? Is the original TAU-craft still a secret project at NASA ? Sometimes in about 10 years from now, ESA would fly the GAIA mission, also a precise astrometric mission, but near Earth. regards Robert |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 27th September 2024 - 02:48 AM |
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. |