Pluto probe may get 2 objects for price of 1 during next flyby

Space.com, via FoxNews ^ | August 08, 2017 | Mike Wall Space.com Senior Writer

[ETL]

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft may double its pleasure during its next deep-space flyby 16 months from now.

On Jan. 1, 2019, New Horizons is scheduled to have a close encounter with a body called 2014 MU69, which lies 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond Pluto in the distant, frigid Kuiper Belt. (The probe famously zoomed past Pluto in July 2015, returning the first-ever up-close images of that mysterious world. This second flyby is the key component of New Horizons' extended mission.)

Not much is known about 2014 MU69, so the New Horizons team planned out a campaign to watch the object pass in front of background stars. Such "occultations" can reveal a great deal about the foreground body, including its size and shape.

[ETL]

Artist’s illustration of the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69, the next flyby target for NASA’s New Horizons mission.
This binary concept is based on telescope observations made from Argentina on July 17, 2017 when MU69 passed
in front of a star. New Horizons scientists theorize that MU69 could be a single body with a large chunk taken out of it,
or two bodies that are close together or even touching. (NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI/Alex Parker)

[ETL]

“during its next deep-space flyby 16 months from now.”

Sorry, folks. Somehow didn’t catch the “16 months from now”.

In other words, not very exciting news here. Would be barely interesting if it were happening tomorrow.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

I wish the science writer would stop using the stupid word “famously”. The satellite doesn’t give a damned about “fame”. It just does its job of photographing space objects extremely well.

Hello ETL. Glad to see you back in the saddle again.

[faithhopecharity]

Next time we send a rocket a billion miles past Pluto, let’s be sure to put obama, sorozNazi, Abbas, Mad maxine waters, McConnell, Ryan, McShame, Lindsay, al frank in, reverend wright, pelousy, Bernie the red, and a few more pos’s on it. We can afford to give them this one last free ride. Best possible use of our tax money - as a one way trip. If ballast is needed, toss in fatso Michael Moore.

[Moonman62]

I’m glad you posted it.

It’s also neat to know that we have a 100 inch telescope on a 747.

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

You forgot the media whore the acoster.

[faithhopecharity]

Sorry. But yes giving away these free one way sightseeing trips to the prime candidates — list we’ve begun here — it can grow — will save the earth and incidentally make everyone appreciate our space program

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Fine... then lets just fly Acosta to Hawaii, put scuba gear on him, tell him it is a completely heat proof suit and send him out for a swim in an active volcano. Dumb SOB wouldn’t know any better.