On Tuesday, just before the hour. 14:00 New Horizons spacecraft approached the maximum Pluto. The information sent on Tuesday agencies, official confirmation from NASA will be issued on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.
The moment of maximum approach the New Horizons spacecraft from Earth to Pluto – the dwarf planet in the chair. 13:49 was the highlight of the mission, during which over 9.5 years 4.8 billion defeated probe km – marks the Associated Press.
Based on current information, the US Space Agency NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft sped toward him at the last, measuring more than 12 thousand. km section of a speed of 31 thousand. m / hour.
Contact probe the Earth is currently on hold, and an official confirmation regarding her closer NASA has to spend the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, when the probe agency will report its technical condition. A few hours later the instruments send back to Earth pictures: Pluto, its moon, Charon, and the four moons of dwarf.
At the moment, mission controllers are waiting with great anticipation – the signal probe has since overcome distance nearly 5 billion km.
The probe enters orbit of Pluto, but he flies around. According to the plan for up to a small distance of several thousand kilometers (or less than the rays of the orbits of the moons of Pluto) had to approach the chair. 13:49.
During the meeting, the probe takes pictures and collects a lot of data, so that scientists can determine the composition of the surface and atmosphere of Pluto. There will also detailed maps of Pluto and its moon, Charon. The probe is also examining four small outer moons of Pluto named: Styx, Nix, and Hydra Kerberos.
– high resolution images come to us after a while. The data transfer speed is just one kilobit per second, so send one image takes a few hours – said astronomer at the University of Wroclaw Dr. Sylvester Kołomański. Uploading all photos may take up to a year probe.
“We are standing under a waterfall and we have this joy”
All observations are carried out automatically. To probe the device not registered “empty” heaven, but moons, New Horizons to fly past Pluto must precisely demarcated along the trail, in perfect time.
The success of the mission therefore depends on whether the probe will be able to perform a number of very precise maneuvers.
– I can not wait to throw on the data and start in order to see them. For now, just stand under a waterfall, and we have this great joy – as quoted by the BBC said Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado (USA), science director of New Horizons mission.
New Horizons is the first space probe, which will examine Pluto up close. Until now, scientists have not had the opportunity. With the approach of the probe to the planet image quality increases.
Experts point out that the passage of the probe next to Pluto is also one of the key moments in the history of space exploration. Will mean that all celestial bodies of the solar system, from Mercury after Pluto, your account will have at least one visit to the probe.
x-news.pl, CNN
Ashes, postage, coins, flags …
On board the New Horizons are the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh American astronomer who discovered Pluto 85 years ago. NASA agency would thus symbolically honor of astronomer. Tombaugh’s family offered an ounce of his ashes, which were placed in an aluminum capsule bearing an appropriate inscription on board the probe.
On board New Horizons is also an American postage stamp with a denomination of 29 cents in 1991 with the image of Pluto and two 25- cents coins – one from Florida, where the probe was launched January 19, 2006 year and the second from Maryland, where its developers live and where there is a mission command center.
New Horizons also carries two US flags and two CDs where you can find photos a team of scientists who designed and supervise the mission and the names of 434,738 people at the right time came forward and registered online.
How Pluto no longer a planet
Pluto was until recently considered to be the ninth, the most distant planet from the Sun, the solar system. But he lost that status in 2006 when it turned out that there is only one of several most massive objects belonging to the so-called. The Kuiper Belt is located on the edge of the solar system and composed of rock and ice asteroids. Since then, Pluto is considered a dwarf planet.
New Horizons probe was launched from Earth in January 2006. In December 2014,., After the defeat of less than 5 billion kilometers, it was woken from hibernation and began preparing for the first flight in the vicinity of Pluto.
IAR, PAP, Penal Code, mr
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