New Horizons – historic mission to Pluto – Interia

14 July 2015 r. At 13:49 New Horizons spacecraft time after 10 years of wandering space will reach its goal. Performs close fly past Pluto and its moon Charon, and manage to continue – in the direction of the Kuiper belt. What’s so special about this mission?

The most important moment of the New Horizons mission already on July 14 – a close fly past Pluto

/ NASA

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plans to send spacecraft to explore Pluto by NASA had been since the 80s of the last century. But for her there was only starting 19 January 2006. Now the New Horizons spacecraft reaches its main objective, which is close to fly past Pluto. At the moment you pass the dwarf planet, the probe will run at a speed of 13.78 km / s. Do not come into the orbit of Pluto, but will approach him at a distance approx. 12.5 thousand. km. Will then perform a lot of photos and measurements and then Pogna further.

To Pluto and farther

From the beginning, the New Horizons mission was not only focus on Pluto, but its moons and the Kuiper belt. Shortly after launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida with the help of the Atlas V 551 rocket, the probe is placed on the transfer trajectory to Pluto, which is also the escape route of the Solar System. New Horizons probe is the fifth in the history of space exploration, which was on the trajectory escape from the solar system beyond the orbit of Saturn. Four previous probes that have already left the Solar System is Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2

New Horizons – what is the purpose of this important space mission? / NASA

Interestingly, after turning off the main engine and rocket engines (47 minutes from the start). probe he left near the Earth at a speed of 16.26 km / s and thus became spacecraft leaving earth with the greatest in the history of competing obtained speed. Getting out beyond the Earth-Moon system took a poll of 9 hours and Apollo missions are needed for approx. 3 days.

During the flight, the probe New Horizons used Jupiter’s gravity assist (the aim was to preventing a gradual reduction in speed probe when leaving the solar system). 28 February 2007. Flew past Jupiter, following the observations of the planet, its rings and moons. During her trip, the probe was 18 times induction and recovery from hibernation.

An artist’s impression of New Horizons spacecraft past Pluto

/ NASA

On board the New Horizons spacecraft is a CD with the names of 435 thousand. people willing to etched on the special list, the American flag, a piece of the fuselage SpaceShipOne and a small container with the ashes of Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh.

The closest approximation to Pluto will be on July 14 about 13:49. 15 minutes later the probe will now close Charon, one of the moons of Pluto. Then it will head towards the border of the solar system, and in the years 2016-2020 will explore the Kuiper belt. NASA plans to complete the mission in June 2022., But it is possible that the probe will run even longer.

Breakthrough flight

New Horizons spacecraft hull is made of aluminum and has a prism shape with dimensions of 2.11 x 2.74 x 0.68 m (length x width x height). For the main part of the probe is attached Radioisotope Generator (RTG) equipped with 11 kg of plutonium dioxide 238. At the beginning of the mission delivered energy X-ray power of 240 W, during the flight past Jupiter 234, and approaching Pluto amount of energy generated falls to 200 W. Contact with the probe provides a main antenna with a diameter of 2.1 m, a smaller antenna with a diameter of 0.3 m, two auxiliary antenna.

A photograph taken on July 11 before the probe New Horizons

/ press materials

Due to the distance between the probe New Horizons away from Earth, it is impossible to broadcast “live” from the landmark in the history of space exploration event. The signal from the planet to probe travels 4.5 hours. Therefore, when a few days ago there were problems in the functioning of the probe, scientists on Earth have to wait until nine hours to find out what happened (the command to execute the diagnosis is transmitted 4.5 hours, and the test results back to Earth another 4.5 hours ).

As the New Horizons spacecraft has only one Radioisotope generator, it is impossible to simultaneously record and transmit the data collected. Cosmonaut Service reported that the first message confirming the end of the trip near Pluto’s success is simple informative message about the end of the observation sequence. Several pictures will be sent on July 16, said the closest approximation are expected July 20. The largest number of materials is expected in mid-September.