NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft Stays the Course to Pluto

NASA ^ | July 1, 2015 | Staff

[lbryce]

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is getting a final “all clear” as it speeds closer to its historic July 14 flyby of Pluto and the dwarf planet’s five moons.

After seven weeks of detailed searches for dust clouds, rings, and other potential hazards, the New Horizons team has decided the spacecraft will remain on its original path through the Pluto system instead of making a late course correction to detour around any hazards. Because New Horizons is traveling at 30,800 mph (49,600 kph), a particle as small as a grain of rice could be lethal.

“We’re breathing a collective sigh of relief knowing that the way appears to be clear,” said Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA. “The science payoff will be richer as we gather data from the optimal flight path, as opposed to having to conduct observations from one of the back-up trajectories.”

Mission scientists have been using the spacecraft’s most powerful telescopic camera, the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), to look for potential hazards, such as small moons, rings, or dust, since mid-May. The decision on whether to keep the spacecraft on its original course or adopt a Safe Haven by Other Trajectory, or "SHBOT" path, had to be made this week since the last opportunity to maneuver New Horizons onto an alternate trajectory is July 4.

“Not finding new moons or rings present is a bit of a scientific surprise to most of us,” said principal investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado. “But as a result, no engine burn is needed to steer clear of potential hazards. We presented these data to NASA for review and received approval to proceed on course and plan. We are ‘go’ for the best of our planned Pluto encounter trajectories.”

[lbryce]

I remember how I felt with the launch of the Cassini-Huygens probe. Seven years! Seven long years before we enter Saturn's majestic realm of rings and moons. Saturn, the crown jewels of the solar system. Well, it's ironic that Cassini first approached Saturn on the July 4 weekend. It was exciting times in deep space exploration.

I do not fancy Pluto in any way reminiscent of Saturn. Nor did I ever look in anticipation to New Horizons arrival at the frozen edges of the solar system with much thought about any encounter with Pluto after all these years. But now, the passage of time having come and gone, and we find ourselves on the precipice of viewing what has never been seen before, my curiosity is piqued but only to a nearly disinterested degree. The pictures of Pluto are only no beginning to show form, shape, planetary landmarks and other worldly visions, the best is yet to come. And two weeks in which the excitement will build up to finally be able to say, Ahh, so this is Pluto and its several moons. A big deal of nothing going on on the very outskirts of our little corner of the vast, inexplicable universe.

[lbryce]

Regards to you from Pluto (almost)

[Politicalkiddo]

I am so excited! This is what I’ve been waiting for.

[BigEdLB]

Craters have started to show up, and there is frozen methane on the surface.

[dr_lew]

The decision on whether to keep the spacecraft on its original course or adopt a Safe Haven by Other Trajectory, or "SHBOT" path, had to be made this week since the last opportunity to maneuver New Horizons onto an alternate trajectory is July 4.

I feel a song coming on.

[Politicalkiddo]

The nerd inside me just squealed in delight.

[dr_lew]

Ahh, so this is Pluto and its several moons. A big deal of nothing going on on the very outskirts of our little corner of the vast, inexplicable universe.

I don't think you get it. In fact you contradict yourself.

[Organic Panic]

I am offended. All these Greeks gettin’ there names on the planets and moons. Where’s the Shitavious, Devonte, and Shaniqua moons??? Didn’t astronomers hear what Al Sharpton said about the Greeks?

[lbryce]

Where’s the contradiction?

[dr_lew]

Where’s the contradiction?

Well, "the outskirts of our little corner", as though remoteness from the earth took us even further away from the "vast inexplicable universe."

[lbryce]

With all due respect Dr. Lew, but I see absolutely no contradiction.

Replace the initial statement describing Pluto; the solar system, and the vast, inexplicable universe with simpler terms that are synonymous with the terms I used and it still makes perfect sense.

To paraphrase; we spent the weekend on the outskirts (Pluto) of our small parcel of land (solar system) that is part a much larger forest area (vast, inexplicable universe.)

If you still see any contradiction, there's no need to respond. If you don't respond, I'll assume you disagree and I'll accept it as such.

[Flick Lives]

This site is a scale model of the Solar System. Very neat. Provides a good sense of just how much empty space their is in our own very average main sequence star system.

If the Moon were only 1 Pixel

[farming pharmer]

I am offended. All these Greeks gettin’ there names on the planets and moons. Where’s the Shitavious, Devonte, and Shaniqua moons??? Didn’t astronomers hear what Al Sharpton said about the Greeks?

What about all the gay names? Lance, Bif, Bruce, Adam & Steve, etc..?

[SunkenCiv]

If they nail this, everyone in the world had better be impressed. The main reason there’s never been a probe to Pluto before this is, it was unlikely we could hit it without some autonomous processing power unavailable back when the Pioneers and Voyager outer system probes were being designed and built. The US’ first attempt at Mars managed to take some photos during the flyby, but missed the planet by just enough that it couldn’t enter orbit (mid 1960s).

[lbryce]

I certainly agree with your assessment. It is no doubt a technological tour-de-force in its undertaking, mind-boggling in scope, scientific achievement, navigational know-how.It will be a great moment for NASA and the US, an accomplishment Americans can once again revel and be proud of in the successful completion of the Pluto mission.

[dr_lew]

Well, it’s a subjective thing, but to me your attitude seems contradictory. We live right in the middle of a spiral galaxy, of course, and what’s happening here? The solar system, including the previously underappreciated Pluto system, which seems to bore you to death. I don’t get it.