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NEW HORIZONS. NASA’s Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission: “The First Mission To the Ninth Planet And the Solar System’s Third Zone”. XXXX Days Since Launch XXXX Days Still To Pluto. Pluto: A Little Background.
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NEW HORIZONS NASA’s Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission: “The First Mission To the Ninth Planet And the Solar System’s Third Zone” • XXXX Days Since Launch • XXXX Days Still To Pluto
Pluto: A Little Background Pluto was discovered in January-February 1930, by Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory, Arizona. • Pluto is a Small, Distant World • <1% Mars’s Max Apparent Diameter (0.1 arcsec) • And 50,000 times fainter than Mars (V~14)
An Historic Journey The Initial Reconnaissance of The Solar System’s “Third Zone” KBOs 2016-2020 Pluto-Charon July 2015 Jupiter System March 2007 Launch Jan 2006
Pluto-Charon: What We Know The Best Hubble Images of Pluto Are Still Crude
PLUTO-KUIPER BELT EXPLORATION The Highest Priority Medium-Scale Mission New Start Of The Planetary Decadal Survey A Reconnaissance Expedition To Pluto-Charon & the Kuiper Belt
SO WE PROPOSED IT, WON IT,AND BUILT IT
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD Instruments: • REX radio science & radiometry • RALPH VIS/IR imaging & spectroscopy • ALICE UV imaging spectroscopy • LORRI High-resolution imager • SWAP plasma spectrometer • PEPSSI energetic particle spectrometer • SDC EPO Student Dust Counter
OUR ATLAS V 551 LAUNCH VEHICLE Centaur Forward Load Reactor 5-meter Short Payload Fairing (68 ft) Payload Adapter (PLA) Centaur Interstage Adapter (12.5 ft Dia) Centaur Conical Interstage Adapter CCB Cylindrical Interstage Adapter Solid Rocket Boosters Centaur Upper Stage Aft Transition Skirt/Heat Shield Centaur Aft Stub Adapter Single RL10 Engine 5-Meter Payload Fairing Boattail RD-180 Engine Common Core BoosterTM (CCB)
JUPITER FLYBY Jupiter science included studies of Jovian meteorology, satellite geology and composition, Auroral phenomena, and magnetospheric physics.
AND WE OBSERVED IO ERUPTIONS GALORE • At least 11 volcanic Plumes were detected. • We obtained the most detailed view ever of a plume on Io. • Tvashtar is near Io’s North pole: always visible. • Tvashtar stretches ~340 km above the surface. Io night side illuminated by Jupiter Tvashtar Prometheus Masubi
TVASHTAR MOVIE • 5 frames • 8 minutes
TVASHTAR MOVIE • 5 frames • 8 minutes
TVASHTAR MOVIE • 5 frames • 8 minutes
TVASHTAR MOVIE • 5 frames • 8 minutes
TVASHTAR MOVIE • 5 frames • 8 minutes
TVASHTAR MOVIE • 5 frames • 8 minutes • First direct measurements of plume dynamics. • Ejection speed ~1 km/sec. • Acceleration during descent. • Apparently non-ballistic trajectories.
AND FINALLY, MAGNETOTAIL EXPLORATION Flying down Jupiter’s deep magnetotail to perform the first traverse through a giant planet’s magnetotail. Former Terra Incognita +90 days @ 2000 RJ Equatorial Plane ~300 RJ Noon-Midnight Plane
UNEXPLAINED PLASMAQUASI-PERIODICITIES A 10 hour period at 450 RJ!
2007 (9/07-11/07) Annual c/o #1 2008 (9/08-11/08) Annual c/o #2 TCM 9 (P-7y) 2009 (9/09-11/09) Annual c/o #3 TCM 10 2010 (9/10-11/10) Annual c/o #4 TCM 11 (P-5y) 2011 (9/11-11/11) Annual c/o #5 TCM 12 2012 (6/12-8/12) Annual c/o #6 TCM 13 (P-3y) Pluto Rehearsal #1 2013 (6/13-8/13) Annual c/o #7 TCM 14 2014 (6/14-8/14) Annual c/o#8 TCM 15 Pluto Rehearsal #2 Precess 05/29/08 Phase in PS-H Precess 12/27/07 Precess 06/09/09 Precess 06/11/10 Precess 06/15/11 Precess 12/20/13 Precess 11/20/07 Precess 12/18/08 Precess 12/13/09 Precess 12/10/10 Precess 11/25/11 Precess 12/11/12 Precess 10/13/13 J+120 P-1yr P-200 Wkly Beacon, monthly Tel. contact in PS-H. 2-3x8h/wk for Annual c/os 7x 8h/d for Precess TCMs in 3A-TCM or AS-TCM OpNavs last annual c/o: 1 every 12hrs for 7 days PS-Hibernation PS-Normal PS-TCM AS-Normal AS-TCM AS-EA AS-SA 3A-Normal 3A-Encounter 3A-TCM CRUISE 2 OVERVIEW
NEXT UP: IN 2015:WHAT WE CAME FOR • Jan-Mar: Observatory Phase • April: Begin Approach Phase • 14 July: Closest Approach • Aug-Dec: Data Downlink
REVOLUTIONARY DATASETS • Six months of encounter science. • Exceed Hubble resolution for months. • Map Pluto and all three satellites. • Make composition maps of Pluto and Charon. • Map surface temperature fields. • Directly measure Pluto’s escape rate. • Assay Pluto’s atmospheric structure and composition. • Determine if either Pluto or Charon differentiated. • Locate additional satellites. The most exciting discoveries will likely be the ones we Don’t anticipate.
ANTICIPATE DRAMATIC RESULTS Triton from Voyager Triton & Pluto At Best HST Resolution