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LongTomH

(8,636 posts)
Tue Nov 18, 2014, 11:50 PM Nov 2014

New Horizons Pluto Probe to awaken from hibernation next month

From Space.com: http://www.space.com/27793-new-horizons-pluto-spacecraft-wakeup.html

NASA's New Horizons probe is about to wake up from a long slumber and get ready for its highly anticipated Pluto flyby next summer.

New Horizons is scheduled to emerge from a 99-day hibernation on Dec. 6, then gear up for a six-month Pluto encounter that peaks with the first-ever close flyby of the mysterious dwarf planet on July 14, 2015.

“New Horizons is healthy and cruising quietly through deep space, nearly 3 billion miles [4.8 billion kilometers] from home, but its rest is nearly over," Alice Bowman, New Horizons mission operations manager at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, said in a statement. "It’s time for New Horizons to wake up, get to work and start making history." [New Horizons' Flight to Pluto in Pictures]

......................//snip

The Pluto encounter technically begins on Jan. 15, 2015. Over the next six months, the spacecraft will use seven different science instruments to study the geology and topography of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, map the two objects' surface compositions and temperatures, study Pluto's atmosphere and search for undiscovered moons and rings in the dwarf planet system, among other things, team members said.

Another chance to do an all-nighter and pop some champagne in honor of New Horizons and the JPL team.

16 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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New Horizons Pluto Probe to awaken from hibernation next month (Original Post) LongTomH Nov 2014 OP
Pluto, demoted to a dwarf planet (plutoid!), may just refuse to cooperate. NRaleighLiberal Nov 2014 #1
If this pic is accurate Plutoid isn't even spherical. {sarcasm} gvstn Nov 2014 #2
It might just have darker and lighter areas on the surface. tclambert Nov 2014 #6
Never forget. trotsky Nov 2014 #5
+1000 !!!! (nt) reACTIONary Nov 2014 #11
Sometimes I'm not too happy about these days -- but then I read this stuff. byronius Nov 2014 #3
Interesting fact.... N_E_1 for Tennis Nov 2014 #4
The fact that we can travel these extreme distances to something so small, on point, is amazing. AlbertCat Nov 2014 #7
I always liked the moon comparison jakeXT Nov 2014 #8
Wait 'till Anonymous gets ahold of the bastids who demoted Pluto. Hoppy Nov 2014 #9
LOL! montana_hazeleyes Nov 2014 #10
Not NASA... reACTIONary Nov 2014 #13
Correction! APL... reACTIONary Nov 2014 #12
I stand corrected! Apologies! LongTomH Nov 2014 #14
And thanks for posting space news! (nt) reACTIONary Nov 2014 #15
I can't wait for the first close-up pics of Pluto! Odin2005 Nov 2014 #16

NRaleighLiberal

(59,940 posts)
1. Pluto, demoted to a dwarf planet (plutoid!), may just refuse to cooperate.
Wed Nov 19, 2014, 12:05 AM
Nov 2014


I really look forward to learning about what is discovered!

gvstn

(2,805 posts)
2. If this pic is accurate Plutoid isn't even spherical. {sarcasm}
Wed Nov 19, 2014, 12:52 AM
Nov 2014


New Horizons took this footage as it raced through space to rendezvous with the dwarf planet. The footage shows Pluto and almost one full rotation of its largest moon, Charon, which orbits 11,200 miles (about 18,000km) above the dwarf planet's surface.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2834535/Almost-New-Horizons-probe-ready-wake-call-approaches-Pluto-historic-encounter-dwarf-planet.html

byronius

(7,369 posts)
3. Sometimes I'm not too happy about these days -- but then I read this stuff.
Wed Nov 19, 2014, 12:17 PM
Nov 2014

We live in interesting times.

N_E_1 for Tennis

(9,593 posts)
4. Interesting fact....
Wed Nov 19, 2014, 12:20 PM
Nov 2014

Surface area of Pluto in square miles: 6,427,806

Surface area of Russia in square miles: 6,601,668

Number of times Pluto orbited the sun while classified as a planet: 0.

Russia is bigger than Pluto.

The fact that we can travel these extreme distances to something so small, on point, is amazing.

http://t.space.com/all/18566-pluto-distance#3

 

AlbertCat

(17,505 posts)
7. The fact that we can travel these extreme distances to something so small, on point, is amazing.
Wed Nov 19, 2014, 03:45 PM
Nov 2014

Math is real!!!!

 

Hoppy

(3,595 posts)
9. Wait 'till Anonymous gets ahold of the bastids who demoted Pluto.
Wed Nov 19, 2014, 08:26 PM
Nov 2014

They are legion.

They do not forget.

NASA, be very afraid.

reACTIONary

(5,749 posts)
12. Correction! APL...
Wed Nov 19, 2014, 09:48 PM
Nov 2014

RE:Another chance to do an all-nighter and pop some champagne in honor of New Horizons and the JPL team

That's APL (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory), not JPL! As a proud member of the New Horizons team and an employee of APL, I'm a bit sensitive about atribution. The PI, Alan Stern, is with SWRI, and NH is a joint venture between APL and SWRI.

GO New Horizons!!!

Odin2005

(53,521 posts)
16. I can't wait for the first close-up pics of Pluto!
Fri Nov 21, 2014, 12:57 AM
Nov 2014

It's about time we know what a Kuiper Belt object actually looks like!

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